


A Twist in Fate: Thalia's Story

by BusyWriter



Series: The Big Three demigod Uchihas [1]
Category: Naruto, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Dimension Travel, Family Issues, Family Secrets, Grandparents & Grandchildren, Long Lost/Secret Relatives
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-12
Updated: 2019-12-18
Packaged: 2020-03-01 08:46:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 20
Words: 75,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18796948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BusyWriter/pseuds/BusyWriter
Summary: Itachi Uchiha hadn’t thought much about his future. He hadn’t thought much about the one night stand he had with a girl. However, as Itachi is about to learn, his actions that night had serious consequences.12 year old Thalia Grace always knew that she was different than other demigods. She had incredible reflexes, stamina, and speed. When Thalia and her companions Luke Castellan and Annabeth Chase, are sent to a world full of ninja’s, she eventually learns why she is so different. Thalia’s mother, Beryl, was born in the world of ninja’s and was sent to the world of the Olympians, through a dimensional rift. Beryl’s father, Itachi Uchiha, had seduced Thalia’s grandmother while he was passing through her village, a month after he had massacred his entire clan.Unfortunately, Thalia’s secret does not stay a secret for long. Now, Thalia, Luke and Annabeth will have to rely on each other and their wits to survive in this hostile world. The three of them will have to deal with near death experiences, being chased by bad guys, the Akatsuki, Orochimaru, and even Konoha. Can the three demigods make it? Or will their lives be tragically cut short? Will they ever ever go home?





	1. Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Here it is! Thalia's story of being a grandchild of Itachi Uchiha. Hope you like it. I have made this story a little different than Nico's. I plan to do the same with Percy's as well. Now remember, the Percy Jackson series belongs to Rick Riordan, just as Naruto, belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.

_…A thousand years ago…_

_Long ago, in the ninja world, five siblings were born, four brothers and a sister. Each child had a unique ability._

_The oldest child was a boy named, Arashi. Arashi, had the ability to see into other dimensions. Arashi, could see the happenings in other worlds. He saw the births of babies, death, war, peace, and love. He could see everything._

_The second oldest child was also a boy. His name was Katashi. Katashi, had the ability to sense when portals into other worlds, called dimensional rifts, would occur in the vicinity. With this power, Katashi, was able to save many of his fellow villagers from being sucked into dimensional rifts._

_The middle child was the only girl. Her name was Sorako. Sorako, had the power to share memories. Sorako, could share her memories with others. Sorako, could show people her happiest and saddest memories._

_The fourth and fifth children were twins, both boys. The older twin was named, Hideaki. Hideaki, could open up dimensional rifts. Hikeaki, could send people to other worlds, or he could bring people from other worlds to this world. However, Hideaki, could only hold open the dimensional rifts for so long. Hideaki, could also not travel to other worlds himself. If Hideaki stopped focusing, then the dimensional rift would disappear._

_Hideaki’s twin brother, Toshiro, had the power to open up dimensional rifts as well. However, Toshiro, could hold open the portal to where he could travel to other worlds. Toshiro, had many adventures in other worlds. This earned him bragging rights among his siblings._

_The siblings were born into a recently formed clan, called the Araya. The siblings parents were the leaders of the clan. The father was named, Akiro. The mother was named, Tsukiko. The clan was also made up of Akiro’s younger siblings, Akashi, Maiya, and their spouses. Tsukiko’s two younger siblings, Toma, Haruto and their spouses, also made up the clan. Akashi, Maiya, Toma, and Haruto also had children, giving Akiro and Tsukiko’s children many cousins to play with._

_The founders of the Araya clan, had been left orphans after their village was destroyed by a horde of marauders. The only survivors of the onslaught were the founders of the Araya clan, and a few other children. Other neighboring villages had been destroyed by the marauders as well, leaving many more orphans in their wake. All of the orphans, including the founders of the Araya, all hid in a sheltered valley. The orphans managed to live in peace for many decades, building new lives together. Many of the other orphans also created clans. One group of orphans created the Amatani clan. A second group, formed the Hashitani clan. A third group, created the Kitani clan. A fourth group, formed the Tanikawa clan. The last group, formed the Yamatani clan. The founders of the other clans also began having children, giving the Araya clan heirs many friends and playmates._

_The village has enjoyed much prosperity under the Araya’s rule. The descendants of Arashi, Katashi, Sorako, Hideaki, and Toshiro all inherited their predecessors powers, increasing the villages prosperity and strength._

_For many hundreds of years, the Araya clan and the other clans in the Araya clans village, have lived together as a united force. The clans have all fought together to defend their home from intruders. This unity has provided a strong foundation for future generations to thrive within the village. However, even such strong united forces and foundations, are bound to show cracks sooner or later._

_…..about a thousand years later…_

_The villagers in the Araya village, are getting on with the day. A cold wind blows lowly in the valley._

_However, the leader of the village, Toma Araya, looks at a house close to the forest. Toma, frowns as he stares at the house. Many others see Toma looking at the house. Many others frown as well and turn away._

_Inside the house, a man sits in front of a hearth in the middle of the floor. The man has brown hair, ultramarine blue eyes, and fair skin._

_Close by, a small basket sits on the floor. A tiny cry comes from inside the basket. The man, gets up and walks over to the basket. Inside the basket is a tiny baby girl. The baby girl has black hair, dark blue eyes, and pale skin. The baby is wrapped in a white blanket._

_The man, smiles as he rocks the baby girl. The man, is Jarou Araya. The baby is his four day old great-niece. Jarou’s niece, Sakiko, died right after she gave birth to this baby. Sakiko, was only fourteen._

_Jarou, hugs the bundle close to him. Jarou, raised Sakiko as his own, after her parents died when she was two years old. Sakiko’s father, Takeo, was Jarou’s younger half-brother._

_Jarou’s family, have always been outcasts in the village. Jarou’s mother, Akira, was very rebellious and liked to ‘entertain’ outsiders who would visit the village. Akira, would also have sex with any village man who asked. Jarou’s father was an outsider. Takeo’s father was a man from the village. Akira, had many other pregnancies, but she lost most of them because she took such poor care of herself. Akira, was also very neglectful of the children she had. It was up to Akira’s family to care for the children._

_Jarou, sighs. Akira, had a total of ten children during her lifetime. Two of the babies died soon after birth, due to birth defects. The fathers of three other children, stepped up and took the children to raise. Two outsider men that Akira, had sex with, visited a second time, and found out that they were fathers. Those two men, took their children to raise, and the village never saw them again. This left Jarou, Takeo, and their younger half-sister, Amira, to be raised by relatives._

_Because of Akira’s behavior, she was shunned by the rest of the village. Even Akira’s closest family members, shunned her. However, Akira’s family cared deeply for Akira’s children and treated them with love. The rest of the village, not so much. It didn’t matter that Akira, didn’t care much for her children or that she was a terrible mother. The rest of the village not only directed their animosity towards Akira...they directed it towards her children. Parents forbade their children from playing with Jarou, Takeo, and Amira. Many village healers refused to treat the children when they got sick. Thankfully, some of Akira’s family members were village healers, and the children got the care that they needed._

_Jarou, Takeo, and Amira, also had to be homeschooled. The teachers who ran the school in the village, refused to teach the children. Parents even encouraged their children, to bully the siblings. Life was incredibly rough for the children growing up._

_Jarou, closes his eyes. Jarou and his half-siblings all grew up thinking that they would never find love. However, Takeo and Amira, found love in two orphans that their relatives had raised. Takeo and his wife Saki, had little Sakiko, when they were both twenty years old. Amira and her husband Kesoa, have two children named Alani, and Kenshiro._

_Jarou, looks down at the child in his arms. A tear falls from his eyes. Takeo and Saki, died after a tree fell through their roof during a violent storm. Little Sakiko, survived with only a scratch. Sakiko, was all that Jarou had left to remember Takeo by. Now, Sakiko, is gone as well. Jarou, only has this child to remember his niece by._

_Jarou, strokes the child’s cheek. The father of Sakiko’s child, is Itachi Uchiha, the murderer of the Uchiha clan. Itachi, visited the village, with another man. The village had not yet heard about the Uchiha massacre. The villagers knew that Itachi and his ‘friend’ were Akatsuki members, due to the cloaks that they wore. However, the village was powerless to expel the unwanted visitors and so Itachi and his partner were left alone to roam the village. Sakiko, became infatuated with Itachi, and began socializing with him, despite the warnings given by her uncle and relatives. Sakiko, always had bad judgement and was also very naive. Sakiko, was also stubborn and hardheaded. There was nothing that Jarou could say to keep Sakiko away from Itachi._

_Itachi and his partner left the next day, much to the relief of the villagers. Sakiko, however, was absolutely devastated. She cried for days, barely ate, barely slept, and barely talked to anyone. However, a month later, Sakiko, began experiencing pregnancy symptoms. Sakiko eventually confided in Jarou, that her and Itachi had sexual intercourse. Jarou, was absolutely furious and took Sakiko to have her pregnancy confirmed by his aunt Rina, who was a village healer. Rina, confirmed that Sakiko, was indeed pregnant. After that many villagers began sneering whenever Sakiko would walk by them, calling her a ‘whore just like her grandmother’. Then, a month after Sakiko, found out that she was pregnant, news of the Uchiha massacre reached the village. Things got worse after that. Many villagers began calling Sakiko’s unborn child an ‘abomination’._

_When the time came for Sakiko to give birth, Toma, banished Sakiko to a barren edge of the valley. Toma, would not allow the child to be born within the confines of the village. Toma, even forbade Rina and her cousin Korra, from going with Sakiko to help her, even though the two women pleaded endlessly. Toma, even had Jarou, restrained in a jail cell to keep him from going with his niece. Sakiko, literally had to hobble her way towards the barren end of the valley...alone...as the painful contractions racked her body._

_By the time night fell, Sakiko, had not returned. Eventually, Toma, let Jarou out of the jail cell. Jarou, literally ran all the way towards the place where Sakiko had been banished to. Jarou, found Sakiko’s ice cold body lying in an abandoned house. However, the baby was alive and wrapped warmly in a thick blanket. Sakiko, apparently could not deliver the placenta, and slowly died of blood loss. Sakiko, had used the last of her strength to ensure that her newborn would not freeze to death. Sakiko, then bled to death, practically alone on the cold floor...unaided by anyone._

_Jarou, wept for ten minutes as he sat by Sakiko’s body. However, he managed to pull himself together and made his way back to the village, the child in his arms. Toma, would not even allow Jarou, or any of his family members to bring Sakiko’s body back to the village to be buried. The Jarou and a few others had to go back and dig a grave in the place where Sakiko had died._

_Jarou, closes his eyes. He wipes his eyes dry and looks back down at the child in his arms. The baby, now sleeps soundly in Jarou’s arms. For the child the first 48 hours after her birth were critical. Village law dictates that the village leader may kill any child that he deems as a threat to the village, within 48 hours after birth. However, once the 48 hours pass, the child is untouchable, no exceptions. This law is used for newborns whose fathers are outsiders with powerful kekkei genkai. Jarou, is actually very surprised that Toma, did not exercise his right to kill the child. Toma, can be very ruthless._

_For the first 48 hours of the baby’s life, Jarou, barely put her down, fearful that Toma would break down the door any minute and snatch the child away. However, the baby, is now four days old. The baby is safe from Toma. Jarou, is relieved that he did not lose his great-niece._

_Jarou, looks up at the clock. It is almost time for the baby’s feeding. Jarou, sets the sleeping baby down in the basket, and heads for the kitchen. Jarou, grabs a baby bottle and a tin that is half-way full of powdered baby formula. Jarou, grabs the tea kettle and prepares to fill the bottle with water from the sink. Formula, is rarely used in the village, since all of the mothers within the village breastfeed their babies. Jarou, got this formula, from a town nearby. Since the village does not have bottled water for baby bottles, Jarou, has been purifying tap water by boiling it. Jarou, will then let the water cool before he fills up the bottle. Jarou, does not want to risk his great-niece getting sick from unpurified water._

_Jarou, turns on the faucet. However, water does not comes out. Jarou, frowns and turns the knob back. Jarou, then tries to turn the water on again. Again...nothing. Jarou, lets out a frustrated sigh. Great...the only other source of water is a well about a quarter of a mile away. Jarou, will have to go and draw water from the well, in order to fill the tea kettle._

_Jarou, puts the tea kettle down, and walks over to the basket. Jarou, grabs an extra baby blanket and bundles the baby warmly in it. It is way too cold outside to take such a small infant outside for any period of time. Jarou, will have to leave the baby in the house while he fetches some water. Jarou, hates leaving the baby alone like this, even with the threat of Toma gone. But...the water is needed for the baby’s bottle. Jarou, must go._

_The baby, opens her eyes. The baby, has tiny wisps of black hair on top of her head. The baby’s eyes are a very dark blue, almost black. The baby’s eye color looks like a mix between Itachi’s black eyes and Sakiko’s ultramarine blue ones. The baby’s skin is pale and flawless. The baby’s lips are a beautiful pink color. Jarou, smiles. His great-niece is so beautiful. Sakiko, would have been so happy to have such a beautiful and healthy daughter._

_Jarou, then frowns when he realizes something. He was so concerned with the threat of Toma, hurting the child, that he hasn’t even given the baby a name yet. Jarou, looks down. He must think of a beautiful and special name for this child. Jarou, shakes his head. He will think about that later. He must go now._

_Jarou, gets up and prepares to leave. The baby whimpers from inside the basket._

_“Shh…,” Jarou says. “I will be back as soon as possible.”_

_Jarou, stands by the door and puts his sandals on. Jarou, then wraps a thick cloak around his body. Jarou, grabs a bucket that is sitting by the door. Jarou, then slides open the door and steps outside. Jarou, shuts the door behind him._

_Jarou, takes a deep breath, and starts walking quickly towards the west. He must hurry._

_As Jarou walks, he is unaware that he is being watched. About twenty meters away, Toma, stands there. Toma, carefully watches Jarou, walk away from the house. Once Jarou, is out of sight, Toma, carefully approaches the house. Toma, slides open the door and lets himself inside._

_About ten minutes later Jarou, returns with the bucket, now full of water, in hand. However, as Jarou approaches his house, he realizes that something is amiss. The door, is slightly ajar. Jarou, rushes inside and drops his bucket when he looks inside the basket. His great-niece...is gone._

_Jarou, runs outside and makes a beeline for a nearby house._

_“Amira!” Jarou screams. “Our great-niece is missing! I think that Toma did something to her!”_

_Seconds later, a woman, opens the door. The woman has long black hair, ultramarine blue eyes, and fair skin. A man quickly joins her. The man has dark brown hair, brown eyes, and fair skin._

_“Missing?” The woman, Amira, questions. “What do you mean?”_

_“I went to get water from the well, and when I came back she was gone!” Jarou cries._

_“But...what could Toma have possibly done with her?” The man, Kesoa, questions. “The child is too old for infanticide by Toma.”_

_“I know.” Amira says. “It doesn’t make sense.”_

_“What is going on here?” A voice suddenly says. Jarou, Amira, and Kesoa all turn. It is Rina, Jarou and Amira’s aunt. Rina, has graying blond hair, ultramarine blue eyes, and pale skin._

_“It is terrible Aunt Rina!” Jarou says. “My great-niece is missing!”_

_“Missing?!” Rina asks with wide eyes._

_“Where do you think that Toma could be right now?” Jarou quickly asks._

_“Look!” Kesoa says as he points to a plateau. “The Araya clan’s special gathering place!”_

_Everyone turns and sees a bunch of people gathered at the top of the plateau. Jarou’s eyes widen. He starts running. Rina, follows him._

_Jarou, reaches the plateau and climbs the steps. He hears loud wailing coming from the top. Absolute panic overcomes him. Jarou, reaches the top._

_Members of the village are gathered in a circle. Toma, is among them. Toma, makes a hand sign._

_The baby, lays in the middle of a flat, circular stone tablet. The newborn wails as she lays on the cold stone._

_All of the sudden, the wind starts to pick up. A mass of swirling blue energy forms in the sky above. Jarou’s eyes widen. He realizes exactly what Toma, is doing._

_“NO!” Jarou screams. Jarou, prepares to rush forward._

_“Seize him!” Toma says to a couple of men who nod._

_The two men, grab Jarou’s arms and hold him back. Jarou, struggles to break free._

_“Please...no,” Jarou says pleadingly._

_The swirling mass of blue energy soon forms into a swirling vortex, which hovers over the baby. People step back as the wind picks up even more._

_“No...no...no,” Jarou says as tears run down his face. “Toma, please don’t do this.”_

_A gust of wind snatches up the baby and lifts the child into the air. Jarou, can only watch as his great-niece is sucked into the vortex. The vortex ascends back into the sky and disappears._

_“NOOOOO!” Jarou screams. The two men let go of Jarou. Jarou, falls to his knees and starts to sob uncontrollably._

_Toma, just look uncaringly at the sobbing man._

_….Present day…._

Jarou, stands on a plateau overlooking a small village village. Most of the homes are cliff and cave dwelling carved out of the mountains. A small stream runs through the middle of the village. A small lake sits at the edge of the village. 

Jarou, sighs and gazes up at the moon Jarou, didn’t even get the chance to name his great-niece before Toma, sent her away. Jarou, not being a descendant of Hideaki or Toshiro, could not get the child back. All of Jarou’s relatives were also unable to retrieve the child, and Toma, knew this. Toma, had wanted to get rid of the child, and since he had missed the opportunity to kill her, he simply found another way to get rid of the child. 

Jarou, blinks. As if sending away Sakiko’s daughter was not enough, Toma, dealt Jarou and Jarou’s relatives another harsh blow. Toma, exiled Jarou, Amira, Kesoa, Rina and their families from the village...forever. Toma, gave the group until sunrise the next morning to leave. If they were not gone by then...they would all be killed...even the children. None of the other villagers tried to vouch for Jarou’s family members...not a single person. 

Rina, took over and lead the group away. It was the middle of winter and bitterly cold. Rina’s aging parents, Jarou and Amira’s grandparents, succumbed to the cold. Rina’s aging aunt and uncle followed shortly after. Then, Rina’s infant grandson, and the infant granddaughter of Rina’a cousin Korra, also succumbed to the cold. This only intensified the groups grief. Not only that...they had to carry bodies as they walked, since stopping to bury the bodies would only slow down the process of finding a new home. 

Eventually, after three days of walking, the group found a valley, very similar to their old home. The valley was already inhabited by a clan called the Moriyama. Among the Moriyama clan, were familiar faces. Among the Moriyama clan, were two of Jarou and Amira’s half-siblings. Their half-sister Aisha, and their half-brother Tenshi. Aisha and Tenshi were born just a year apart from each other. Their fathers were from the Moriyama clan. Aisha’s father and Tenshi’s father had returned when Aisha was two and Tenshi just a year old. When the two men found out that they were fathers, they took their children away to raise. Jarou and Amira, had not seen their two younger siblings since. Aisha’s father, Kaito, and Tenshi’s father, Tetsuo, had recognized Jarou and Amira immediately. When Rina explained what Toma had done, the Moriyama’s were horrified and felt sorry for the group. The Moriyama’s let the banished Araya’s, stay in their village. The Moriyama’s even let the Araya’s bury the bodies of their deceased loved ones, in their villages burial site. 

Jarou, closes his eyes. He is truly grateful for the Moriyama’s generosity. However, he just cannot get over the injustice done to his family members. 

Jarou, closes his eyes. Tears fall from his eyes and into the water below. Due to the difference of time flow between the two worlds, his great-niece grew up fast. The child had been sent to the world ruled by the Olympian gods. Jarou’s great-niece even gave birth to two demigod children. However, both children have seemingly disappeared without a trace. First, Jason, disappeared when the family went to that park. Then, Thalia ran away from home due to Jason’s disappearance. 

Jarou, blinks as he continues to gaze up at the moon. Tears stream down his cheeks. 

“Jason...Thalia…,” Jarou whispers to himself.

 


	2. To a new world

Two girls hide carefully in an alleyway. The older of the two girls looks to be about twelve and has spiky black hair, electric blue eyes, alabaster white skin and pink lips. A light dusting of freckles lines the girls nose and underneath her eyes. The girl wears a black jacket, a black shirt, and black jeans. White sneakers cover the girls feet.  ****  
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The second girl appears to be no older than seven. The girl has curly blonde hair, stormy grey eyes, and light skin. The girl, wears a pink shirt, blue jeans, and a small pink jacket. White sneakers cover the girls feet.  ****  
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The two girls look at each other.  ****  
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“Thalia…,” The younger girl says. “What do you think could be taking Luke so long?”  ****  
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The older girl, Thalia, sighs. “I do not know Annabeth.” Thalia says.  ****  
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“I sure hope nothing happened to him.” Annabeth says.  ****  
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All of the sudden, a boy no older than fourteen pops out from behind a building. The boy has short sandy blond hair, cerulean blue eyes, and fair skin. The boy wears a white T-shirt, blue jeans, and white sneakers. The boy also wears a blue jacket.  ****  
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“Luke!” Thalia and Annabeth both say.  ****  
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The boy, Luke, grins. “I’m back.” Luke says.  ****  
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Luke, approaches Thalia and Annabeth. Luke, opens up the backpack that he is carrying.  ****  
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“Look what I got for all of us to eat.” Luke says.  ****  
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Luke, pulls out a box of pop tarts, a box of granola bars, box of crackers, a few apples, and a few mandarins. Luke, then takes out six water bottles. Luke, grins and takes out three cans of coca cola. Then, Luke takes out six candy bars. Annabeth, gasps.  ****  
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“Candy!” Annabeth says with an excited voice.  ****  
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Luke grins. “I thought that the three of us could use a treat.” Luke says.  ****  
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Luke hands Annabeth and Thalia, each a candy bar, then takes one for himself.  ****  
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“We each have one now…,” Luke says. “Then we save the other ones for later.”  ****  
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Annabeth and Thalia, both nod. Annabeth, Thalia, and Luke all eagerly dig into their candy. Within minutes, all three children have finished their candy.  ****  
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Luke, then takes the packages of pop tarts, and granola bars, out of the boxes, and then starts dividing all of the food into groups of three. Annabeth and Thalia, both open up their own backpacks and fill their bags with the food. Luke, puts some food into his own bag. Then, Thalia, hands Luke a neatly folded set of clothes.  ****  
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“Here are your clothes back.” Thalia says.  ****  
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“Thanks Thalia.” Luke says. Luke then puts the clothes into his bag. He then grabs a golf club, that is propped up against the side of a building.  ****  
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The three children all stand up and start walking towards a forest at the other end of the alleyway. Thalia, is in the lead, despite Luke being older. The three children, reach the forest, and come to a culvert with water flowing into a ditch. The ditch is quite wide, so just stepping across is out of the question. However, Thalia, jumps across the ditch with ease. Luke and Annabeth, both take their shoes and socks off and walk across the ditch, getting their feet wet in the process. Thalia, hands Luke a towel. Luke dries his feet off first and then hands the towel to Annabeth. Luke, looks at Thalia.  ****  
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“How come you can jump across ditches like that so easily and the two of us can’t?” Luke asks.  ****  
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Thalia, shrugs. “I don’t know.” Thalia says. “It’s something that I have been able to do since I was very little.”  ****  
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“You are also a lot faster than us.” Annabeth says.  ****  
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“I know.” Thalia says. “Running fast just seems to come naturally to me.”  ****  
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“Your battle reflexes are also incredible.” Luke says as he puts his shoes and socks back on. “You should see yourself when you battle monsters.”  ****  
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Thalia, turns away a little bit. “I know that I am different than other demigods.” Thalia says. “However, I don’t know why.”  ****  
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“Annabeth and I are not saying that is a bad thing.” Luke says. “Actually—” ****  
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However, Luke does not finish his sentence. A growl comes from behind the children. Thalia, Luke, and Annabeth all turn. Behind them, is a large a pack of black doglike creatures. Three ladies with leathery wings and yellow eyes are also behind the children.  ****  
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Luke gasps. “Hellhounds!” Luke says.  ****  
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“Kindly ones!” Thalia and Annabeth both say at the same time. ****  
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The three ladies all let out creepy laughs. The doglike creatures, hellhounds all howl.  ****  
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Thalia, Luke and Annabeth all start running in the opposite direction. The hellhounds and kindly ones all give chase. Within minutes, the children, have been cornered against a rock ledge. Thalia, Luke and Annabeth draw out their weapons. Luke, holds up his golf club.  It is no use...they must fight for their lives.  ****  
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The hellhounds and kindly ones all approach. However, the hellhounds stop and look up at the sky. The kindly ones do the same. All of the sudden, the pack of hellhounds all howl and run away. The three kindly ones let out shrieks.  ****  
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“Dimensional rift!” The three kindly ones scream. The three kindly ones all turn and fly away as fast as they can.  ****  
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Luke, Thalia, and Annabeth are left standing against the rock ledge. The three children are very confused.  ****  
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“What was all that about?” Annabeth asks. She puts her knife back into a belt around her waist.  ****  
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“I don’t know.” Thalia says as she puts her sword back on her belt.  ****  
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Thalia, then turns to see Luke, staring up at the sky.  ****  
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“Luke?” Thalia questions.  ****  
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Luke, squints and points up at the sky. “Look up at the sky.” Luke suddenly says. Do the two of you see what I am seeing?” ****  
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Thalia and Annabeth both look up and notice something odd. There is a swirling mass of blue energy, swirling up in the sky. And..it looks as if it is descending.  ****  
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“What is that?” Annabeth asks.  ****  
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“I don’t know.” Thalia says. “Luke?”  ****  
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Luke shrugs. “Beats me.” Luke says.  ****  
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The wind slowly starts to pick up. Leaves fly off the trees and blow around in the air. The air starts to become thick. Then, the swirling mass of blue energy, descends down to the ground, forming a swirling vortex. A Tornado! Luke, grabs Annabeth, to keep her from being sucked up.  ****  
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“RUN!” Luke screams.  ****  
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Thalia and Luke prepare to make their escape with little Annabeth. However...it is too late. The wind lifts Thalia and Luke off their feet and into the air. Luke, holds Annabeth tightly.  ****  
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“THALIA!” Luke and Annabeth scream.  ****  
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“LUKE! ANNABETH!” Thalia screams.  ****  
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The three children disappear into the tornado. The tornado then ascends back into the sky and disappears.  ****  
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...in the world of ninja’s… ****  
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A swirling blue mass of energy appears in the sky. The swirling blue mass, descends towards the ground, until the mass of energy is just feet above the ground. Thalia, Luke, and Annabeth are deposited on the ground. All three children are unconscious. The swirling blue mass of energy, ascends back into the sky and disappears. Thalia, Luke, and Annabeth are left unconscious on the ground.  ****  
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***************************** ****  
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Toma, looks towards the eastern end of the village and frowns. He just sensed something weird. Like...someone opening up a dimensional rift to another world.  ****  
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Toma, looks to his right hand men. The two men nod and follow Toma, towards the eastern end of the village.  ****  
** **

Within ten minutes Toma and his men, reach a plateau leading up to a mountain. A man stands at the top of the plateau. The man has black hair, cornflower blue eyes, and light skin. The man is looking at a giant mirror with an image in it. Toma, gasps when he sees what the image is. It is of the little abominations demigod daughter. And...it looks like she is in the shinobi world. The black haired man turns when he hears Toma, gasp. Toma’s eyes widen.  ****  
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“Masaru!?” Toma says. “What have you done?! What is the meaning of this?”  ****  
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The black haired man, Masaru, just looks at Toma, with cold eyes.  ****  
** **

“What you did all those years ago was wrong Toma.” Masaru says. “What you did to Jarou and all of his relatives was wrong as well. I deeply regret that I did nothing to stop you all those years ago. I regret that I did not speak up when you banished Jarou, and his relatives. I was afraid of you. However, I have let that fear go. Thalia and her friends were about to get eaten by monsters so I saved them.”  ****  
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Toma’s eyes are red with absolute rage. “DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU HAVE DONE?!” Toma yells.  ****  
** **

“I have done the right thing…,” Masaru says. “By not fearing you and not following your cruel ways.”  ****  
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Toma, clenches his fists into balls. Toma, gets a mad look in his eyes.  ****  
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“I suppose that you are going to banish my family and I, like you did to Jarou and his relatives?” Masaru asks.  ****  
** **

“No…,” Toma says with a deathly voice. “I have an even better punishment. DEATH! Your grandsons shall die with you!”  ****  
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Masaru, does not even flinch. “Deep down I knew that you would suggest that.” Masaru says. “That is why I was prepared.”  ****  
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All of the sudden, Masaru, disappears in a puff of smoke. Toma and his henchmen gasp.  ****  
** **

“A shadow clone!” Toma says.  ****  
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In a cave overlooking the plateau, the real Masaru, with a pack strapped to his back, hides in the darkness. Two young boys are hidden behind him.  ****  
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The first boy looks to be about nine and has black hair, and blue-grey eyes. The boy has a backpack strapped to his back. The second boy looks to be about seven and has black hair and blue-grey eyes. The seven year old boy has a backpack strapped to his back and carries a stuffed dragon in his arms.  ****  
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“Grandfather…,” The older boy begins to say.  ****  
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“Hush, Masaomi.” Masaru says. “I need you and Hikaru to follow me, alright. Now, hurry!”  ****  
** **

Masaru, grabs Masaomi’s hand. Masaomi, grabs the younger boy, Hikaru’s hand, with his other hand. The three of them start down a dark passageway. Within minutes, the trio reach an opening and step out. Masaru, leads his grandsons down a path. After a few minutes, they all look behind them. In the distance, a mountain range sits behind the trio. Masaomi, looks up at his grandfather.  ****  
** **

“Are we really never going back to the village?” Masaomi asks.  ****  
** **

“No.” Masaru says. “Toma, is a cruel village leader. I have finally seen the light, and have decided that the three of us are better off somewhere else. It is for the best.”  ****  
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“But where are we going then grampa?” Little Hikaru asks.  ****  
** **

“Somewhere far away.” Masaru says. “However, there is something that I must do first. Just follow me.”  ****  
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Masaru, walks down the path, through the forest, his grandson’s following closely behind him. Masaru, closes his eyes. It hadn’t been his original plan to send Thalia and her friends here. However, Masaru, realized that the three young demigods would be hopelessly outnumbered by the monsters and decided to act. However, Masaru, realizes that Thalia, is in real danger in this world. Masaru, must find Thalia and tell her about her heritage. Knowing the dangers out there, will help prepare Thalia and her friends for the challenges ahead. It is the only way that the three demigods can survive in this world.  ****  
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******************************** ****  
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Thalia, stirs. Her eyes flicker open. She looks around.  ****  
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_ Where am I? _ Thalia thinks to herself. Then, Thalia, remembers her friends. She looks to her left and sees Luke and Annabeth lying on the ground a few meters away.  ****  
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Thalia, slowly crawls over to Annabeth and shakes her shoulder. Annabeth’s eyes flicker open.  ****  
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“Thalia?” Annabeth asks.  ****  
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“Are you alright?” Thalia asks the small girl.  ****  
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“I feel fine.” Annabeth says. Then Annabeth sees Luke lying on the ground a few feet away. She gasps.  ****  
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“Is Luke fine?” Annabeth asks.  ****  
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“I am about to go check.” Thalia says.  ****  
** **

Thalia, crawls over to Luke, and begins shaking his shoulder. Annabeth crawls over to sit by Thalia. Luke’s eyes open up instantly. Luke, looks at Thalia and Annabeth.  ****  
** **

“Thalia! Annabeth!” Luke says. “I had the worst nightmare! I dreamed that the three of us were sucked up into a blue tornado! We were spun around, around and around!”  ****  
** **

Thalia sighs. “Unfortunately, it was not a dream.” Thalia simply says.  ****  
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Luke, becomes pale. “It wasn’t?” Luke asks.  ****  
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“No.” Annabeth says.  ****  
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“Oh.” Luke says. He sits up and looks around. His eyes then widen.  ****  
** **

“Oh man!” Luke says. “I lost my golf club.”  ****  
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Thalia and Annabeth suddenly become pale. Thalia, feels her waist. Her eyes widen. Annabeth, feels her waist. Her eyes widen.  ****  
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“I can’t find my sword.” Thalia whispers.  ****  
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“I can’t find my knife.” Annabeth says with a whimper.  ****  
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In a flash, all three children are on their feet and looking for their weapons. They know that demigods without weapons, are dead demigods.  ****  
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Thalia, carefully scans the ground, looking for any signs of her sword. Within minutes, Thalia, finds her sword. Thalia, picks the sword up and holds it carefully in her hands.  ****  
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“I found my sword!” Thalia calls out to her friends.  ****  
** **

“I found my knife!” Annabeth calls out.  ****  
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“I found my golf club!” Luke calls out.  ****  
** **

The three children regroup and scan their surroundings. Luke, frowns when he notices something peculiar. It is dark outside. It shouldn’t be nighttime yet.  ****  
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“Uh, Thalia...Annabeth,” Luke says. “Do you notice something odd?”  ****  
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Thalia and Annabeth, both narrow their eyes and look around. Their eyes suddenly widen.  ****  
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“Yeah…,” Annabeth says. “It is dark.”  ****  
** **

“It shouldn’t be nighttime yet.” Thalia says.  ****  
** **

“I know.” Luke says. “So weird.”  ****  
** **

Thalia, sighs. “Anyway…,” Thalia says. “We should probably get a move on. A lot of monsters like to come out at night.”  ****  
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“You’re right Thalia.” Luke says.  ****  
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Luke, Thalia, and Annabeth all start walking towards the east.  ****  
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********************************* ****  
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Luke, Annabeth, and Thalia, walk through the dark forest. They have been walking for nearly ten minutes already. However, they have yet to see a single monster.  ****  
** **

Thalia, looks around. “Something feels wrong.” Thalia says. “This forest feels different than the one we were in before that freaky blue tornado sucked us up.”  ****  
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“Yeah…,” Luke says as he looks around some more. “This forest does seem different. But...how can we be in a different forest?”  ****  
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“Maybe the blue tornado dropped us in a different forest.” Annabeth says.  ****  
** **

Luke, shrugs. “I suppose that could be possible.” Luke says. “However, we now have no idea as to where  _ this _ forest is. We could be in China for all we know!”  ****  
** **

Thalia, frowns. “That is true.” Thalia says. “That would be very problematic indeed.”  ****  
** **

Annabeth’s eyes suddenly widen. She strains to hear something in the distance.  ****  
** **

“Do you two hear that?” Annabeth asks. “It sounds like...running water. Like a stream.”  ****  
** **

Thalia and Luke, both listen very carefully. Their eyes widen as well.  ****  
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“It’s coming from that direction.” Thalia says as she points to the east. “Let’s go check it out.”  ****  
** **

Luke and Annabeth silently follow Thalia, until they reach a stream. The water in the stream is crystal clear.  ****  
** **

Thalia and Luke frown as they examine the water.  ****  
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“How strange…,” Luke says. “I have never seen such a clear and clean looking stream before.”  ****  
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“Neither have I.” Thalia says.  ****  
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Little Annabeth, examines the water also. She bends down and sniffs deeply.  ****  
** **

“This water also smells really clean.” Annabeth says.  ****  
** **

Annabeth, then forms one of her hands into a little cup and scoops up some water. Annabeth, slowly sips the water in her hand. Her eyes widen instantly.  ****  
** **

“This is the best water I have ever tasted!” Annabeth says. “It is even better than bottled water!”  ****  
** **

Annabeth, scoops up some more water and gulps down some more. Luke and Thalia, look at one another. Thalia, then scoops up some water into her own hand and takes a tentative sip. Her eyes widen instantly.  ****  
** **

“So good…,” Thalia says. “Must have more.”  ****  
** **

Thalia, scoops up some more water, and gulps it down. Luke, then scoops up some water with one of his hands and takes a sip. His eyes widen instantly.  ****  
** **

“So fresh and clean.” Luke says. Luke, scoops up some more water and gulps it down.  ****  
** **

Within a few minutes, the children have quenched their thirsts. Thalia, Luke, and Annabeth all look at one another.  ****  
** **

“This place is so different.” Thalia says. “It is like it is another world.”  ****  
** **

Luke, then gets a strange look in his eyes, as if he is in deep thought. Then, his eyes widen.  ****  
** **

“You know what, I think that this might actually be another world.” Luke says. “Remember what those kindly ones said?”  ****  
** **

Thalia and Annabeth think back really hard to right before they were sucked into the blue tornado.  ****  
** **

“The kindly ones said ‘dimensional rift’.” Thalia says. “I wonder what a dimensional rift is supposed to be.”  ****  
** **

“In movies that I watched when I was younger…,” Luke begins. “Different dimensions equate to different worlds. I think that the blue tornado, sent us to a different dimension...another world.”  ****  
** **

Thalia and Annabeth, look at one another.  ****  
** **

“Well…,” Thalia begins. “If gods and goddesses can exist then why not different dimensions.”  ****  
** **

“But…,” Annabeth begins. “What about going to camp Half-blood? If we are in another dimension then we can’t go to camp!”  ****  
** **

“The three of us are just gonna have to make a life here I suppose.” Luke says. All of the sudden, Luke grins widely.  ****  
** **

“But you wanna know what I just thought about?” Luke asks.  ****  
** **

Thalia and Annabeth look questionly at Luke.  ****  
** **

“Since this is another world…,” Luke says with the grin still on his face. “We don’t have to worry about monsters chasing us anymore.”  ****  
** **

Thalia and Annabeth eyes widen. The two girls blink a few times. Then, they both grin.  ****  
** **

“No more Cyclops.” Annabeth says.  ****  
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“No more hellhounds.” Luke says.  ****  
** **

“No more kindly ones.” Thalia says.  ****  
** **

“No more Hydras.” Annabeth says.  ****  
** **

“No more manticores.” Luke says.  ****  
** **

“No more Hera and Hades trying to kill me.” Thalia says.  ****  
** **

“NO MORE MONSTERS!” Luke, Thalia, and Annabeth all cry together. They stand up and cry tears of joy and relief. The children hug each other.  ****  
** **

********************************* ****  
** **

Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki, lay around a fire. Kisame, snores lightly in his sleeping spot.  ****  
** **

Itachi, lays on the ground a few feet away. His eyes suddenly flicker open. He sits up and looks up at the moon.  ****  
** **

Itachi, narrows his eyes as he looks at the moon. A strange feeling overcomes him. Itachi, shakes his head, and looks away from the moon. Itachi, tries to go back to sleep, but can’t. ****  
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*********************************** ****  
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Sasuke Uchiha, lays on a very thin futon. A blanket covers his body. Sasuke’s eyes open and sits up. He looks around at the rest of his team, sleeping around him. Sasuke, carefully gets up and heads to a shoji screen. Sasuke, carefully opens the shoji screen, and steps out onto a small veranda. Sasuke, tries to be as silent as possible. He doesn’t want to wake his team, or Tazuna’s family.  ****  
** **

Sasuke, looks up at the moon. He shakes his head as a strange feeling overcomes him.  ****  
** **

The moon shines  brightly over the Land of waves. Stars twinkle in the sky.  ****  
** **

Sasuke, just keeps looking at the moon. The strange feeling overcomes him again. Sasuke, shakes his head again. Sasuke, silently steps back into the house and shuts the shoji screen behind him. Sasuke, makes his way to his futon.  ****  
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******************************** ****  
** **

Thalia, Luke, and Annabeth walk around the forest trying to find a cozy place to settle down for the night. Annabeth’s eyes are starting to droop a little.  ****  
** **

“I’m tired.” Little Annabeth says. “I just wanna go to sleep.”  ****  
** **

“I know.” Thalia says. “However, we must find a good place to lie down first.”  ****  
** **

Luke, suddenly stops walking. He points to a dark cave a few feet away.  ****  
** **

Luke, then, walks up to the cave and carefully looks inside. Luke, grins and turns towards his companions.  ****  
** **

“This cave looks nice.” Luke says. “Why don’t we gather some wood and make a fire?”  ****  
** **

“Sounds like a good idea.” Thalia says.  ****  
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“Ditto.” Annabeth says.  ****  
** **

The three children head off to gather firewood. Within ten minutes, they return with their arms full of wood. Luke, sets down his armful first. Thalia, sets hers down as well as does Annabeth. The children now have a nice sized pile of stick and twigs.  ****  
** **

Luke, grabs a lighter out of his backpack, and then grabs a twig. Luke, lights a small flame on the end of the twig and then lowers the twig towards the wood. Within minutes the pile of wood is a roaring fire.  ****  
** **

Luke, Thalia, and Annabeth stand in front of the fire for a little bit to warm themselves. Then, Annabeth yawns and lies down on the cave floor. Thalia and Luke, do the same.  ****  
** **

“Goodnight Luke...goodnight Thalia.” Annabeth says as she starts to fall asleep. “See you in the morning.”  ****  
** **

“Goodnight Annabeth.” Luke and Thalia both say.  ****  
** **

Annabeth soon falls fast asleep. Thalia and Luke look at each other.  ****  
** **

“Goodnight Thalia.” Luke says.  ****  
** **

“Goodnight Luke.” Thalia says.  ****  
** **

Thalia, falls asleep. Luke, smiles the sleeping forms of Thalia and Annabeth. Luke, then looks at his golf club. He had almost thought about ditching it since he doesn’t have to defend himself or Thalia or Annabeth from monsters anymore. However, Luke, decided to keep it. Never know when a golf club will come in handy. Luke, sighs and falls fast asleep. 


	3. Exploring a new world

Luke’s eyes flutter open. He stretches and looks at Thalia and Annabeth sleeping next to him.  ****  
** **

Luke, looks outside the cave. Light streams into the cave, through the cave mouth. It is morning.  ****  
** **

_ I suppose that we should get up now. _ Luke thinks to himself.  _ I am actually eager to see what this new world has to offer. _ ****  
** **

Luke, gently shakes Thalia’s shoulder. Thalia’s eyes flutter open and she turns to look at Luke.  ****  
** **

“It is morning.” Luke says. “I think that we should get up and explore our new home.”  ****  
** **

“Sounds like a good idea.” Thalia says as she sits up and stretches.  ****  
** **

At the sound of Thalia moving, Annabeth’s eyes flutter open. Annabeth yawns and looks at her older companions.  ****  
** **

“Time to get up, Annabeth.” Luke says cheerfully. “I think that we should go out and see what this new world has to offer.”  ****  
** **

Annabeth’s eyes widen. She smiles. “Oh yes!” Annabeth says. Annabeth, sits up right away. Then, the three children hear the unmistakable sounds of hungry bellies growling. Luke, smiles and opens up his back. Thalia and Annabeth do the same. Luke, Thalia, and Annabeth each take a bottle of water and a granola bar out of their bags.  ****  
** **

As the children eat, they talk about the new world that they are in.  ****  
** **

“I wonder if this world has gods and goddesses too.” Annabeth says.  ****  
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“I don’t know...maybe.” Luke says.  ****  
** **

“I wonder if this world even has humans.” Thalia says.  ****  
** **

“Maybe.” Luke says. “Then there would have to be some kind of civilization that we could settle down in.”  ****  
** **

“Yeah.” Thalia says. “That would be great. Although I do hope that if there are humans in this world, they are friendly.”  ****  
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“Yeah.” Luke says as he looks down at the last bite of his granola bar. “I would hate it if we had to run from unfriendly mortals.”  ****  
** **

The children, down the last bites of their granola bars. They wash down their breakfast with big gulps of water.  ****  
** **

Luke, is the first to stand up. He looks outside at the sunlit forest. Thalia and Annabeth follow right behind him.  ****  
** **

“At least we don’t need to check for monsters anymore when we get up.” Thalia says.  ****  
** **

“We don’t have to check for monsters anymore.” Luke admits. “However, there is something that we may need to consider. If this world does have animals and people as well, then we may still need to be weary. We have no idea what kind of animals this world has. And if there are humans here, we don’t know if they are friendly.”  ****  
** **

Thalia and Annabeth look at one another. They both know that Luke is right. There could be danger lurking behind every tree and rock.  ****  
** **

Luke, quickly goes back into the cave to retrieve his golf club. He holds it in his hands.  ****  
** **

“Alright you two…,” Luke says. “Let’s do this.”  ****  
** **

“I’m ready.” Thalia says.  ****  
** **

“So am I.” Annabeth says.  ****  
** **

The three children, set off into the forest, leaving the cave behind them.  ****  
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*********************************** ****  
** **

Jarou, holds his hand over a well of water. He looks carefully into the water. After a few more minutes, he sighs and pulls his hand back. Jarou, begins walking carefully down some stone steps.  ****  
** **

After a few minutes, Jarou, reaches the bottom. Villagers, work diligently in fields and gardens. Jarou, reaches the edge of a field. Kesoa, is carrying a basket of vegetables in his hands. Other men follow Kesoa.  ****  
** **

“Oh…,” Kesoa says. “Hello Jarou. How are you today?”  ****  
** **

Jarou, does not respond. He simply hangs his head down and walks away. Kesoa gets a sad look in his eyes. The other men look knowingly at jJarou, as he recedes.  ****  
** **

“It has been four years.” A man in the group says. “He still grieves...after all this time.”  ****  
** **

Kesoa, closes his eyes. “Amira still breaks down when someone mentions Sakiko and her child.” Kesoa says. “I am afraid that what happened four years ago has left a permanent scar on my wife’s and brother-in-laws hearts.”  ****  
** **

“And it is probably been very stressful for Jarou and Amira, since no one knows what has happened to Sakiko’s granddaughter.” Another man says.  ****  
** **

Kesoa, closes his eyes. “Yes.” Is all that Kesoa says.  ****  
** **

Jarou, eventually reaches an area that leads to some hotsprings. Two elderly women walk out of a bathhouse. It is Rina and the Moriyama clan Matriarch, Tsukiko.  ****  
** **

Tsukiko, is a very stern yet caring clan matriarch. Tsukiko, has long white gray hair, blue grey eyes and fair skin.  ****  
** **

“Ah…,” Tsukiko says. “I feel so much better.”  ****  
** **

“So do I.” Rina says.  ****  
** **

Rina, then notices her nephew. “Jarou?” Rina asks.  ****  
** **

Jarou, looks sorrowfully at his aunt. “Aunt Rina…,” Jarou says. “I think that Thalia may be dead. It has been five days since we could locate her and her friends in the other world. I now fear the worst has happened.”  ****  
** **

Rina, puts a comforting hand on Jarou’s shoulder. “It has only been five days.” Rina says. “Don’t give up hope just yet. Keep looking.”  ****  
** **

Jarou, blinks a few times. He simply walks away without saying another word.  ****  
** **

******************************** ****  
** **

Luke, looks around as he Thalia, and Annabeth take a break by a river. So far they have seen fish, birds, lizards, squirrels, rabbits, and even deer. However, they have not come across any humans yet.  ****  
** **

Thalia, lays on the riverbank. She looks up at the sky.  ****  
** **

“This world is so much like our own.” Thalia says. “There has to be humans here.”  ****  
** **

“I really hope that we find humans.” Annabeth says. “Our food supplies won’t last forever.”  ****  
** **

“I know.” Luke says. He looks up towards the sky. He then looks at Thalia and Annabeth.  ****  
** **

“The sun looks like it is in the noon position.” Luke says. “We should get going.”  ****  
** **

“Alright.” Both Thalia and Annabeth say at the same time.  ****  
** **

Luke, Thalia, and Annabeth get up and grab their backpacks. Luke, grabs his golf club. Thalia, grabs her sword. Luke, Thalia, and Annabeth then start walking downstream. They hope to at least find an ocean, where they can then walk along the beach and look for civilization.  ****  
** **

After ten minutes of walking, the three children reach a meadow. Flowers of all shapes colors and sizes, are in full bloom. Butterflies fly about and land on the flowers.  ****  
** **

Annabeth gasps. “So pretty!” Annabeth says.  ****  
** **

Annabeth runs into the meadow and starts examining all of the pretty flowers.  ****  
** **

“It is pretty.” Thalia admits.  ****  
** **

“I agree.” Luke says.  ****  
** **

Annabeth, smiles as she examines the flowers. Then, her eyes widen and she gasps. Annabeth, puts her hand to the ground, trying to get something.  ****  
** **

“What is it Annie?” Luke asks. Annie, is Luke’s nickname for Annabeth.  ****  
** **

“I found something!” Annabeth says.  ****  
** **

After a few more moments, Annabeth, holds up her find. It is steel...a steel knife!  ****  
** **

Luke and Thalia gasp. A knife...a man made object. There are humans in this world.  ****  
** **

Thalia and Luke, rush over to examine the object. The knife actually looks more like a weapon. The knife like weapon, has been welded to resemble a diamond. The point and edges are very sharp. The handle ends with a little loop. It looks like the strange knife can be hung from a hook or something.  ****  
** **

“This definitely does not look like it was used for chopping up food.” Thalia says. “It is a weapon for sure.”  ****  
** **

Luke, holds the strange knife in his own hands. “Well…,” Luke begins. “Now we know one thing for sure. This world does have humans...and they can be violent. Just another reason to be careful.”  ****  
** **

Luke, slips the knife into his bag. “We will take it with us.” Luke says. “Since this world does have violent humans, an extra weapon may come in handy.”  ****  
** **

Thalia and Annabeth nod. The three children, decide to just examine the weapon some more. Thalia, takes it into her own hands. She holds it by the handle.  ****  
** **

“By the way it can be held…,” Thalia says. “It can definitely be used for stabbing and slicing.”  ****  
** **

“And the design…,” Luke says. “Tells that great care was taken to make it.”  ****  
** **

“That little loop on the end makes it possible to hang it or even tie something to it.” Annabeth remarks.  ****  
** **

Luke, looks at the little loop. He slides his finger into it and starts spinning the strange weapon in a circle. Luke, grins.  ****  
** **

“Cool…,” Luke says. “You can spin it.”  ****  
** **

Thalia, looks closer at the spinning object. A thought to soon comes to mind.  ****  
** **

“Luke, can you give me that for a sec?” Thalia asks. “I want to try something out.”  ****  
** **

“...Alright…,” Luke says. Luke stops spinning the weapon and hands it to Thalia.  ****  
** **

Thalia, holds the weapon in her own hand. She turns to face the forest. Thalia, holds the handle with her fingers and points the tip of the weapon forward. Thalia, takes a deep breath and throws the weapon towards a tree. The weapon flies through the air in a straight line and hits a tree. The strange knife’s point...is embedded in the tree bark.  ****  
** **

Thalia’s eyes widen at what she just did. She looks at Luke and Annabeth. Annabeth, just stares at the tree. Luke’s jaw hangs open for a few moments. When Luke finally manages to close his mouth, he looks at Thalia, with a look of awe.  ****  
** **

“How...how did you do that?” Luke finally asks.  ****  
** **

Thalia, blinks a few times. She doesn’t really know how she did either. It almost seemed like it came naturally to her.  ****  
** **

“I don’t know myself.” Thalia says. “I contemplated the design and thought about what would happen if it were thrown. I was just trying it out. I didn’t expect it to actually become embedded in the tree. When I was prepared to throw it...it almost felt natural. Like...I was born to do it.”  ****  
** **

“Really?” Luke asks.  ****  
** **

Thalia, nods and walks up to the tree. She wiggles the knife out of the tree bark. Thalia, then walks back to her friends. She puts the weapon into her own bag.  ****  
** **

“Since I can use it to its full potential, I will keep it.” Thalia says.  ****  
** **

Luke shrugs. “Fine with me.” Luke simply says.  ****  
** **

Annabeth, gets up from her sitting position. She looks around.  ****  
** **

“You know what….,” Annabeth says. “Since that weapon is here that means civilization should not be too far from here.”  ****  
** **

Luke’s eyes widen. “You’re right Annie.” Luke says. “The creators of this weapon, have to be close by.”  ****  
** **

“Let’s keep following the river downstream.” Thalia says.  ****  
** **

Luke and Annabeth nod. They follow Thalia out of the meadow.  ****  
** **

********************************* ****  
** **

Toma, sits in the village meeting room. His most trusted right hand men, sit on the tatami floor in front of him. One man, sneers.  ****  
** **

“The daughter of that ‘clan killers spawn’ is here in this world!” The man says. “This is terrible.”  ****  
** **

Toma, sighs. “Yes…,” Toma says. “And it is all Masaru’s fault!”  ****  
** **

“I just wish that the girl would have just been eaten by a monster.” A second man remarks.  ****  
** **

“I wish that Hades would have just killed the girl.” A third man says.  ****  
** **

“Why couldn’t Hera have just killed that half-blood abomination like she did with the boy?” A fourth man asks.  ****  
** **

Toma, shrugs. “Well…,” Toma says. “We don’t know for sure that Hera killed the boy. However, I sure hope that she did.”  ****  
** **

The first man sneers again. “What do we do about the girl?” The man asks.  ****  
** **

Toma, closes his eyes. “Nothing.” Toma says. “Unless we come across her. As long as she stays away from the village, it is not our problem.”  ****  
** **

Toma, then opens his eyes. He gets a sinister look in his eyes. He clenches his hand around the handle of his sword. “However…,” Toma says. “If the day comes that the girl ever does find her way to our village, She will  _ never _ see the light of another day.”  ****  
** **

********************************** ****  
** **

The sun is just to set over the horizon. Luke, Thalia, and Annabeth walk through the forest. The three children have been walking for hours. Little Annabeth looks ready to collapse any minute now.  ****  
** **

Thalia, notices Annabeth struggling. “Luke…,” Thalia says. “Poor Annabeth needs to rest. She looks ready to just collapse.”  ****  
** **

Luke, looks back and sighs. “Ok…,” Luke says. “Truth is...I just want to collapse myself.”  ****  
** **

“I do too.” Thalia says.  ****  
** **

Luke, looks around. He spots something out of the corner of his eye. It is a cabin. Luke’s eyes instantly widen.  ****  
** **

“Check it out girls.” Luke says as he walks up to the cabin. “A cabin. I wonder if anybody is home.”  ****  
** **

Luke, prepares to knock on the door. However, Luke, notices that the door is actually ajar. Luke, knocks on the door frame.  ****  
** **

“Hello…,” Luke says. “Is anybody home. You left your door open.”  ****  
** **

There is no answer. Luke, pushes the door open. Inside is empty space. Luke, steps inside and looks around. All that is in the cabin is a low table and a sunken floor hearth. Thalia and Annabeth, join Luke and look inside the cabin.  ****  
** **

“This place looks abandoned.” Thalia says.  ****  
** **

Luke grins. “An abandoned cabin.” Luke says. “It is our lucky day. Since no one is here to make us leave, we can stay here for the night. No beds but at least there is a roof and a hearth.”  ****  
** **

Thalia shrugs. “Fine with me.” Thalia says. “However, we will need to gather firewood to make a fire.”  ****  
** **

“Alright.” Luke says. “Here is the plan. We will go out and gather firewood. Then, we shall return, make a nice warm fire, eat some pop tarts and drink a soda.”  ****  
** **

Thalia and Annabeth both grin at the idea. They eagerly follow Luke into the forest.  ****  
** **

Within ten minutes, the three children, return to the cabin with arms full of wood. Luke, closes the door behind them.  ****  
** **

Annabeth and Thalia, set their wood into the hearth. Luke, set his wood beside the hearth. In case the fire starts going out, they may need extra wood.  ****  
** **

Luke, grabs a lighter from his bag. Luke, pushes the little sliding button up. A small flame appears at the end of the lighter. Luke, lowers the flame towards the wood. However, nothing happens. Thalia, gets an idea.  ****  
** **

“I will be right back!” Thalia says.  ****  
** **

Thalia, leaves the cabin. Within ten minutes, she returns with a handful of dried grass. Thalia, places the dried grass into the hearth. Luke, brings the flame towards the grass. Within minutes, the children have a roaring fire.  ****  
** **

“Good thinking Thalia.” Luke says with a smile on his face.  ****  
** **

“Thanks Luke.” Thalia replies.  ****  
** **

Luke, Thalia, and Annabeth, reach into their bags and take out packages of pop tarts and cans of soda. The three children spend the rest of the evening, sitting by the fire, eating poptarts, drinking soda, and talking. 


	4. Ninjas?

Thalia, is the first to awake to the sunlight streaming into the cabin. She yawns and stretches. Thalia’s arm ends up hitting Luke in the ribs.  ****  
** **

“Oof.” Luke says. He opens his eyes.  ****  
** **

“Sorry.” Thalia says as she sits up.  ****  
** **

“That’s ok.” Luke says. “Since light is coming into the cabin that means it is time to wake up anyway.”  ****  
** **

Thalia, looks at Annabeth, who is still asleep. Thalia, gently shakes the little girl’s shoulder.  ****  
** **

“Come on Annabeth…,” Thalia says gently. “It is time to wake up.”  ****  
** **

Annabeth’s eyes flicker open. Annabeth lets out a loud yawn and sits up. All of the sudden, Annabeth’s stomach rumbles. Luke’s stomach rumbles a few seconds later. Thalia’s stomach rumbles a few seconds after Luke’s.  ****  
** **

Luke, smiles and grabs a granola bar out of his bag. Thalia, grabs a granola bar out of her bag. Annabeth, grabs a granola bar out of her bag. The three children begin eating their breakfast.  ****  
** **

******************************** ****  
** **

Toma, stares at the Araya’s village. He sighs and quickly heads over to see how the daily harvest is going.  ****  
** **

The harvesters bow when Toma, comes up to them. Toma, examines the potatoes, carrots and turnips. Toma, nods in approval.  ****  
** **

“Good work.” Toma says. “Our hard work is paying off. The crops are growing quite well this year.”  ****  
** **

A man, nods at Toma. “Yes.” The man says. “If the crops keep growing like this, everyone in this village will be able to feast everyday for the rest of the growing season.”  ****  
** **

Toma, then looks around and frowns when he notices something odd. One of the able bodied men who usually helps with the daily harvest, is nowhere to be seen.  ****  
** **

“Have any of you seen Akirou this morning?” Toma asks.  ****  
** **

All of the men present, look around. They all shake their heads. All of the sudden one of the men scans the area really hard. The man frowns intensely.  ****  
** **

“Actually…,” The man says. “I don’t actually see Kiyoshi either.”  ****  
** **

Toma, frowns even more. Two men not reporting for daily duties is unusual. Akirou and Kiyoshi, better have good excuses.  ****  
** **

“I am going to go see what the deal is with Kiyoshi and Akirou.” Toma says. “Just get back to work.”  ****  
** **

“Yes sir!” All of the men say.  ****  
** **

Toma, heads off, leaving the men to work. Toma, walks around trying to catch sight of Akirou and Kiyoshi.  ****  
** **

************************************* ****  
** **

Thalia, takes in her surroundings as she walks. Luke and Annabeth follow closely behind. The three children have been walking for hours, but have still not found any civilization.  ****  
** **

Thalia, stops walking and sighs. Luke and Annabeth, stop beside Thalia.  ****  
** **

“Who knew that finding civilization would be so hard?” Thalia asks.  ****  
** **

Luke, puts a comforting hand on Thalia’s shoulder.  ****  
** **

“It will be ok,” Luke says. “Just—” ****  
** **

However, before Luke can finish his sentence, Annabeth grabs his arm.  ****  
** **

“Shhh…,” Annabeth says. “I thought I heard something.”  ****  
** **

Thalia and Luke become alert almost instantly. Now that Thalia and Luke are paying attention to their surroundings, they realize that Annabeth is right. There are noises coming in their direction. And what’s more, the noises sound like voices.  ****  
** **

_ People!  _ Thalia thinks to herself. However, just as Thalia, is about to run towards the direction of the mysterious voices, she gets a nagging feeling in the back of her head. Something is telling her that the owners of the mysterious voices, mean trouble.  ****  
** **

“Thalia?” Luke asks. “Are you ok?”  ****  
** **

Thalia, looks at her friends. “Something is telling me that whoever those voices belong to, are not friendly.” Thalia says. “Let’s hide.”  ****  
** **

Luke and Annabeth, look at one another. They are not gonna argue with Thalia’s judgement.  ****  
** **

“Ok.” Luke says.  ****  
** **

Thalia, Luke and Annabeth quickly hide themselves behind some shrubbery. A few moments later, at the opposite treeline, two figures emerge from the forest. The two mysterious figures wear strange clothing. The strange clothing consists of a blue body suit, with a leather sleeveless vest jacket. The two mysterious figures also wear blue sandals, wrist guards, and belts. Both of the mysterious figures have swords strapped to their backs.  ****  
** **

The first mysterious figure is a man with brown hair, brown eyes, and light tan skin. The second figure is a man, with black hair, blue eyes, and light skin. The two men also wear cloth headbands with metal plates attached to the cloth. The metal plates have strange symbols engraved on them. Slashes, are slashed across the symbols.  ****  
** **

The man with the black hair stops walking. He looks around. The other man stops walking as well.  ****  
** **

“What’s wrong Hiro?” The man with the brown hair asks the black haired man.  ****  
** **

Annabeth, narrows her eyes. Being a child of Athena, Annabeth is able to overcome her dyslexia. Annabeth, knows a lot about different cultures, thanks to her father being a professor. Even though Annabeth’s father majors in American History and Military History, Mr. Chase loves reading about any kind of history.  ****  
** **

_ Hiro…, _ Annabeth thinks.  _ That name sounds Japanese. _ ****  
** **

“I sense three chakra signatures very close by.” The black haired man says.  ****  
** **

Thalia and Luke, look at each other. Chakra?  ****  
** **

Annabeth’s eyes narrow even more. She knows that many cultures in East Asia, regard life energy as chakra.  ****  
** **

The brown haired man, tenses up and looks around.  ****  
** **

“Now that you mentioned it…,” The brown haired man says. “I do sense three chakra signatures nearby. All three chakra signatures actually feel kind of young. Children perhaps?”  ****  
** **

The black haired man, Hiro, looks in the direction of where Thalia, Luke and Annabeth are hiding.  ****  
** **

“The chakra is coming from over there.” Hiro says. “Let’s go check it out.”  ****  
** **

Hiro, and the brown haired man, begin approaching the children’s hiding place. Luke and Thalia, freeze up instantly. These men can actually sense where they are hiding?!  ****  
** **

Annabeth, blinks a few times. These men must have the ability to sense the energies of living things. Could all humans in this world have this ability? Could all humans in this world have special powers?  ****  
** **

Just then, Hiro and the mystery man, stop walking. The shrubbery hiding Thalia, Luke, and Annabeth is parted. The three children look up. Hiro and the brown haired man, are now standing over Thalia, Luke, and Annabeth.  ****  
** **

Hiro’s eyes widen. He looks at his companion. Then, Hiro, grins widely.  ****  
** **

“Look what we have here, Katashi…,” Hiro says to his companion. “Three little kids hiding in the bushes.”  ****  
** **

Luke, scowls. “Hey!” Luke says with an offended voice. “I am fourteen. I am not a little kid!”  ****  
** **

Thalia, scowls as well. She does not like these bozo’s at all. “Yeah.” Thalia says. “I am twelve. I am not a little kid either!”  ****  
** **

Hiro and the brown haired man, Katashi, laugh. Hiro and Katashi, then stop laughing and look at little Annabeth, sandwiched between Luke and Thalia.  ****  
** **

“How old is this one then?” Hiro asks as he eyes little Annabeth.  ****  
** **

Annabeth, tries to avoid the man’s gaze. She does not like this man.  ****  
** **

“Why do you wanna know?” Annabeth asks with a timid voice.  ****  
** **

Hiro and Katashi, narrow their eyes and look more closely at the three children before them.  ****  
** **

“Hey Hiro…,” Katashi says. “Do you notice anything unusual?” ****  
** **

Hiro, nods his head. “Yeah.” Hiro says. “These kids are wearing very strange clothing. Could they be shinobi?”  ****  
** **

Luke and Thalia, look at each other with very confused looks. Shinobi?  ****  
** **

Annabeth’s eyes widen. Shinobi...is the Japanese word for ninja!  ****  
** **

Luke, shakes his head and sits up. Thalia, does the same. Annabeth, gets up as well.  ****  
** **

“Sorry but we have to go…,” Luke says.  ****  
** **

Luke, tries to lead Thalia and Annabeth away. However, Hiro and Katashi, suddenly jump into a tree and then jump down, blocking the children’s path. Luke’s eyes widen. Thalia and Annabeth’s eyes widen as well. The three children have the same thought in their heads. How did these bozo’s do that?!  ****  
** **

“What’s the rush?” Katashi asks. “Where are you kids going anyway? Is it that important to get where you’re going?”  ****  
** **

Luke, tries to make something up. “Well…,” Luke says. “We have to go home.”  ****  
** **

“Where is home?” Hiro asks. “My friend and I can escort you home. The world is a dangerous place for children.”  ****  
** **

Luke, scowls. “My friends and I can take care of ourselves.” Luke says. “We don’t need help.”  ****  
** **

Hiro, scowls. “You have such a bad attitude young man.” Hiro says. “I don’t like smart mouthed brats.”  ****  
** **

Luke, growls. “Again…,” Luke says. “I am not a little kid!”  ****  
** **

Hiro and Katashi, both glance at each other and nod in unison. Hiro, reaches one of his hands towards Annabeth.  ****  
** **

“Now, don’t make this difficult.” Hiro says. “Come here.”  ****  
** **

Annabeth gasps and backs away. Luke, gets in front of Annabeth protectively. Luke, grabs his golf club and swings. Luke, gets Hiro, in the left side of the head. Hiro, lets out an angry yell and clutches his head.  ****  
** **

“You brat!” Hiro says with rage. “You are going to pay for that!”  ****  
** **

Thalia’s eyes widen. Luke, just made things even worse.  ****  
** **

“Leave us alone!” Luke says. “Go away!”  ****  
** **

Just then, Hiro and Katashi, both tense up. They look in the opposite direction and gasp. Five individuals with animal masks, stand at the tree line. The masked individuals draw out weapons.  ****  
** **

Luke, Thalia, and Annabeth look at each other. They do not like the look of those masked individuals ****  
** **

Hiro, growls under his breath. “Hunter-nin.” Hiro says.  ****  
** **

Hiro, draws out his sword. Katashi, draws out his sword as well.  ****  
** **

Thalia and Luke, look at one another. Hunter-nin?! That certainly does not sound very good. Annabeth, looks up at her companions. Thalia and Luke, nod at Annabeth. The three children make a swift exit, running as fast as their legs can carry them.  ****  
** **

******************************* ****  
** **

Toma, groans as he steps in front of Akirou’s house. Toma, has looked all over the village for Akirou and Kiyoshi, with no sign of the two men. Toma, has now decided to check their houses. Akirou’s house, is first.  ****  
** **

Toma, knocks on the door. There is no answer. Toma, groans again.  ****  
** **

“AKIROU!” Toma yells. “COME OUT HERE RIGHT NOW!”  ****  
** **

There is no answer. Akirou, does not even come to the door. Toma, growls and slides the door open.  ****  
** **

The house inside is cold, meaning that a fire was not lit in the hearth this morning. Toma, looks around. He sees no signs of life. Toma, growls and starts checking every room. Toma’s search yields nothing. However, Toma, glances at the table and spots a piece of paper. Toma, picks up the piece of paper and starts reading the writing on it. Within minutes, Toma’s face turns red from rage.  ****  
** **

“AKIROU!” Toma screams with rage.  ****  
** **

Toma’s scream is so loud, that everyone within a five mile radius can hear him. Toma’s right hand men, rush to see what the problem is.  ****  
** **

When the men get to the house, Toma, is standing outside. Toma, trembles with rage as he looks at the note.  ****  
** **

“Lord Toma!” Toma’s right hand man, Mihiro, says. “What is the matter?”  ****  
** **

“Akirou…,” Toma says as he hisses out the name with disgust. “Is a dirty traitor! He has abandoned the village!”  ****  
** **

Mihiro, and the other men gasp. Toma, rubs his temples.  ****  
** **

“Go and check Kiyoshi’s house!” Toma yells. “Now!”  ****  
** **

“Yes sir!” Mihiro says. Mihiro, disappears into the distance.  ****  
** **

...ten minutes later… ****  
** **

Mihiro, walks back to where Toma and the other men are waiting. Mihiro, carries a piece of paper in his hand.  ****  
** **

Mihiro, sighs and hands Toma, the piece of paper.  ****  
** **

“I checked Kiyoshi’s house.” Mihiro says. “Kiyoshi, is gone. He left this note.”  ****  
** **

Toma, reads the note carefully. Toma’s face turns red with rage again.  ****  
** **

“Kiyoshi and Akirou are both traitors…,” Toma says. “Dirty no good traitors! If they ever dare to come back to this village, they are dead.”  ****  
** **

Mihiro, and the other men all shrink back as Toma, tears up the notes and walks down the hill. Mihiro, closes his eyes and the other men begin whispering to each other.  ****  
** **

“How could Kiyoshi and Akirou betray us like this?” Mihiro seemingly asks no one in particular. “Why?”  ****  
** **

*********************************** ****  
** **

Thalia, Luke, and Annabeth, sit by a stream and pant heavily.  ****  
** **

“I am so tired.” Thalia says.  ****  
** **

“Yeah, so am I.” Luke says. “Buy hey...at least we got away from those weirdos.”  ****  
** **

“I think I know what is going on here,” Annabeth says. “Those two weirdo’s made references to things that I learned from my father.” ****  
** **

Luke and Thalia, both look at Annabeth with confusion.  ****  
** **

“Those two weirdo’s have names that sound like Japanese names.” Annabeth says.  ****  
** **

“Ok…,” Thalia says. “So those weirdos have Japanese names.” ****  
** **

“Those weirdos also made a reference to ‘chakra’.” Annabeth says. “In East Asian cultures, especially Japanese culture, chakra is the energy or life force of every living thing.”  ****  
** **

Luke and Thalia, look at one another. Annabeth is the daughter of Athena. Annabeth, is so wise and intelligent for her age.  ****  
** **

Annabeth, looks into the water. “I was just thinking…,” Annabeth begins. “Our world has many different cultures. Maybe if there are many other worlds, they take on different aspects or cultures of our world. I think that this world takes on the Japanese culture a little bit.”  ****  
** **

Thalia and Luke, look at one another. “That sounds very plausible Annie.” Luke says.  ****  
** **

“And…,” Annabeth says. “I have heard the word shinobi before. It is the Japanese word for ‘ninja’.”  ****  
** **

Thalia and Luke, just look at Annabeth with wide eyes.  ****  
** **

“You’re saying that we are in a world full of ninjas?” Thalia asks.  ****  
** **

Annabeth nods. Luke, shrugs.  ****  
** **

“Well…,” Luke says. “We are in a world full of ninjas then. However, I am sure that being in a world full of ninjas beats being in a world where monsters chase and try to kill or eat you every single day.”  ****  
** **

Unfortunately, Luke, will soon learn just how wrong he is. Dead wrong. 


	5. Thalia, what happened to your eyes?

Thalia, awakens to light streaming into the cave. She looks at Luke and Annabeth sleeping next to her. After their experience yesterday, the three children found a cave to settle down and sleep in. Now, another day has begun.  ****  
** **

Thalia, yawns and stretches. Luke, hears her and opens his eyes.  ****  
** **

“Oh it’s morning.” Luke says. Luke, sits up and starts stretching. Once Luke is done stretching, he gently shakes Annabeth’s shoulder.  ****  
** **

Annabeth’s eyes flicker open. The little girl looks up at Luke with sleepy eyes.  ****  
** **

“Come on Annie,” Luke says. “It’s time to get up.”  ****  
** **

Annabeth yawns. “Ok.” Annabeth says. Annabeth, sits up and lets out another loud yawn.  ****  
** **

As Annabeth slowly stretches in order to wake herself up, Thalia and Luke rummage through their bags. Thalia and Luke, each take a granola bar out of their bags. Annabeth, copies their movements once she is done stretching. The three children eagerly dig into their breakfast.  ****  
** **

After a few minutes, the three children have finished off their breakfast. Thalia, approaches the cave entrance and peeks outside. With no sign of danger, Thalia, signals to her companions that it is time to head out.  ****  
** **

Luke and Annabeth, quickly put their granola bar wrappers in their bags. Luke and Annabeth, then follow Thalia out of the cave.  ****  
** **

******************************** ****  
** **

A man with black hair, blue eyes, and light skin walks through a forest. The man looks behind him every few minutes, as if checking to see if anyone is following him.  ****  
** **

_It doesn’t look like Toma sent anyone after me…,_ The mysterious man thinks to himself. _Looks like I have escaped that tyrant._   ****  
** **

The man looks at his surroundings. _However,_ The man thinks. _I have escaped the village, but I have no idea where to go from here. What should I do now?_   ****  
** **

All of the sudden, five figures clad in purple clothing, jump out of the trees and surround the man. The five figures wear headbands with the symbol of a musical note.  ****  
** **

The man gasps. _Hidden Sound shinobi!_ The man thinks to himself.  ****  
** **

Just then, a creepy looking man with long black hair, yellow eyes, and pale skin, steps out from behind a tree. The man, has a look of madness as he grins at the mysterious man.  ****  
** **

“Hm...what do we have here?” The creepy man asks no one in particular. “An intruder…?”  ****  
** **

The mysterious man, gulps and shivers. _There is no mistake…,_ The man thinks to himself. _It is Orochimaru, one of the legendary Sannin of Konoha. I have really screwed up now._   ****  
** **

However, the mysterious man then thinks of something. He grins and tries to act confident.  ****  
** **

“You are Orochimaru, aren’t you?” The man asks the creepy looking man.  ****  
** **

The creepy looking man, narrows his eyes. “Why yesss…,” The creepy man says with a hiss in his voice. “Yesss, I am.”  ****  
** **

The mystery man, bows. “Allow me to introduce myself…,” The man says. “I am Kiyoshi Araya. I have just escaped my village which is ruled by a tyrannical leader named Toma. I am guessing that I have intruded upon your land. I want to make a deal with you, in exchange for my life. I happen to know of a source of power that you may be interested in. If you promise to let me go...I will reveal everything that I know.”  ****  
** **

The creepy man, Orochimaru, cocks his head curiously. “A source of power you say?” Orochimaru asks.  ****  
** **

******************************* ****  
** **

Thalia, looks up at the sky. The sun is in its noon position.  ****  
** **

_We have been walking for a while…,_ Thalia thinks to herself. _Perhaps we should take a break._   ****  
** **

Thalia, turns to her companions. Luke and Annabeth, walk very slowly. They look tired.  ****  
** **

“It is noon.” Thalia says to her companions. “Let’s take a break?”  ****  
** **

Luke, sighs as he collapses to the ground. Annabeth follows suit.  ****  
** **

“Good idea, Thals.” Luke says. ‘Thals’, is Luke’s nickname for Thalia. “I could use a rest.”  ****  
** **

“Ditto.” Annabeth says with her little voice.  ****  
** **

Thalia, sits down next to her friends. However, she soon notices something. Out of the corner of her eye, she spots what looks to be a sign post.  ****  
** **

“Guys…,” Thalia says. “Do you see that over there?”  ****  
** **

Luke and Annabeth, scan the area that Thalia, is pointing to. Luke, gasps.  ****  
** **

“That looks like a sign post!” Luke says. “Let’s go check it out after we are done with our break.”  ****  
** **

However, as soon as Luke is finished speaking, the three children hear footsteps. They turn to see four individuals walking along a streambank. The four individuals are wearing clothing that is very similar to Hiro and Katashi’s. ****  
** **

Thalia and Luke, look at one another with wide eyes. The two of them then at Annabeth. Annabeth’s eyes are wide as well. They all know one thing that is certain. If these four individuals are anything like Hiro and Katashi, then they need to get out of here asap.  ****  
** **

Thalia, Luke and Annabeth all get up and start running. They soon hear the sound of running feet chasing them. The four individuals must have seen them. All of the sudden, one of the four individuals, appears in a tree and then jumps down, blocking the children’s path.  ****  
** **

Thalia, Luke and Annabeth all stop running and gasp. How did the man do that?! ****  
** **

The other individuals catch up to them. The three other individuals are also men. The three individuals grab Luke, Thalia and Annabeth.  ****  
** **

“Hm…,” The individual who is holding Annabeth says. “Three children wandering in the forest. How unusual?”  ****  
** **

“Let go of me!” Annabeth cries as she struggles within the man’s grasp.  ****  
** **

Thalia and Luke, are also putting up quite the fight. Luke, grunts as he tries to pull himself away. Thalia, kicks the man that is holding her in the knee. The man lets go of her. Thalia, pulls herself away and grabs Luke’s golf club, which he dropped when he was grabbed. Thalia, whacks the man who is holding Luke, setting Luke free. Thalia, does the same to the man holding Annabeth. Annabeth, runs into Luke’s arms as the man holds his head.  ****  
** **

“I’m gonna kill you girl!” The man who was holding Annabeth says with rage filled eyes.  ****  
** **

The four men pull out weapons and quickly surround Thalia. Luke and Annabeth, stand off to the side. Annabeth, gasps as her eyes widen.  ****  
** **

“THALIA NO!” Annabeth cries.  ****  
** **

“THALIA, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” Luke yells. “THEY WANT TO KILL YOU!”  ****  
** **

Thalia, gets into a fighting stance. She holds the golf club firmly as she prepares for battle.  ****  
** **

The four men grin and charge. Thalia, swiftly dodges the men’s movements. Thalia, is moving so quickly that the men are practically moving around in circles, trying to get Thalia.  ****  
** **

Luke and Annabeth, watch with wide eyes. The two of them have never seen Thalia, move like this before.  ****  
** **

Suddenly, the sky clouds up and turns gray. Flashes of lightning start striking the ground around Thalia and the four men. Luke, gasps and grabs Annabeth. Luke, pulls himself and Annabeth over to a rock ledge, and presses himself and Annabeth against the cold rock wall. A small overhang protects Luke and Annabeth from the lightning.  ****  
** **

The four men who are fighting Thalia, gasp and dodge the bolts of lightning. One man, tries to charge at Thalia with a sword, but Thalia, dodges the sword with ease.  ****  
** **

Thalia, now stands in the center of the forest. She grits her teeth in anger and closes her eyes.  ****  
** **

….In the Land of Waves… ****  
** **

Sasuke, pants as he dodges another senbon. Naruto, also dodges the senbon aimed at him. Then, Naruto, collapses to the ground.  ****  
** **

“Naruto!” Sasuke yells.  ****  
** **

Sasuke and Naruto’s opponent, Haku, a masked teenager, stands within a floating ice mirror. Haku, throws another senbon. Sasuke, dodges the senbon. Haku, jumps to another ice mirror and throws another senbon. Sasuke, picks up a used senbon off the ground and uses it to deflect the senbon. Haku, then throws several more senbon towards Sasuke. Sasuke, dodges all of the senbon by jumping away.  ****  
** **

Sasuke, lands back on the ground. Sasuke, lifts his head up. Sasuke’s eyes are no longer black. Sasuke’s eyes glow red and in each eye there is at least one black tomoe. One eye has two tomoe.  ****  
** **

...back in the Land of Fire with Thalia, Luke, and Annabeth… ****  
** **

Thalia, opens her eyes. Thalia’s eyes are no longer electric blue. Thalia’s eyes glow red and in each eye there is a single tomoe.  ****  
** **

The men all gasp when they see Thalia’s eyes.  ****  
** **

“The girl...her eyes.” One of the men says.  ****  
** **

“That...that is impossible.” Another man says.  ****  
** **

Luke and Annabeth, can see the change in Thalia’s eyes from where they are sitting. Annabeth, just blinks a few times.  ****  
** **

“Wh...wha...what happened to Thalia’s eyes?” Annabeth asks with wide eyes. “They’re...they’re red.”  ****  
** **

“I know.” Luke says with equally wide eyes.  ****  
** **

Thalia, is unaware of the physical change to her eyes. She grimaces.  ****  
** **

“LEAVE MY FRIENDS AND I ALONE!” Thalia yells as she trembles with rage.   ****  
** **

Thunder booms in the sky. Lightning flashes in the clouds and down to the ground. The four men, gasp and decide to beat a hasty retreat. After the four men are out of sight for five minutes, Thalia, calms down. The lightning and thunder stops. The sky returns to its normal blue color.  ****  
** **

Luke and Annabeth, slowly emerge from under the rock ledge. The pair silently approaches Thalia. Thalia, breathes heavily. She looks at Luke and Annabeth. Thalia, raises a brow when she notices the strange look in their eyes.  ****  
** **

“What’s wrong?” Thalia asks.  ****  
** **

“Your...eyes...they’re different,” Luke says. “I don’t know how to explain it...but...—” ****  
** **

“Your eyes are red!” Annabeth says, cutting Luke off. Annabeth, fishes a hand mirror from her backpack, and holds it up. “See for yourself!”  ****  
** **

Thalia’s eyes widen when she sees her reflection in the mirror. “My...my eyes.” Thalia says with a hitch in her voice. “How...how did this happen?”  ****  
** **

“This has never happened to you before?” Luke asks.  ****  
** **

Thalia, shakes her head. “No…,” Thalia says simply. “Never.”  ****  
** **

Just then Thalia gasps and falls to her knees. She grimaces and holds her hands over her eyes. Luke, quickly crouches down beside Thalia.  ****  
** **

“Thalia!” Luke says with alarm. “What’s wrong?!”  ****  
** **

Thalia, draws in a deep breath. “My...my eyes…,” Thalia says. “They hurt. I also feel so drained. I really feel like I need to rest.”  ****  
** **

Luke, quickly helps Thalia, stand up. Together, Luke and Annabeth, support Thalia and help her walk. The three children begin walking away from the area to find more appropriate shelter.  ****  
** **

******************************* ****  
** **

Orochimaru, sits on a chair that looks like a throne. Kiyoshi, kneels in front of Orochimaru. Kiyoshi’s head is downcast as he finishes telling Orochimaru, everything that he knows.  ****  
** **

Orochimaru, grins widely. “Very interesting.” Orochimaru says. “A demigod...the granddaughter of Itachi Uchiha.”  ****  
** **

Kiyoshi, tilts his head up. “Are you gonna let me leave this place alive?” Kiyoshi asks with a tinge of fear evident in his voice. “I have told you everything that I know regarding this subject.”  ****  
** **

Orochimaru, grins. “Oh yesss.” Orochimaru says. “I always keep my word.”  ****  
** **

Kiyoshi, gets up. “Thank you.” Kiyoshi says. “I really appreciate you letting me live.”  ****  
** **

Orochimaru, turns towards a girl with long dark pink hair and brown eyes. “Tayuya…,” Orochimaru says. “Please escort out guest out.”  ****  
** **

The girl, Tayuya, nods and begins escorting Kiyoshi, out of the room. A man with glasses, gray-silver hair, and dark eyes, turns to Orochimaru.  ****  
** **

“What is our next move, Lord Orochimaru?” The man asks.  ****  
** **

Orochimaru, grins. “We locate and capture the girl of course.” Orochimaru says.  ****  
** **

******************************* ****  
** **

Sasuke, breathes heavily as Sakura, carefully takes the senbon needles out of his body. Everyone is back in Tazuna’s home. Now, that Gato, and his men have been defeated and Zabuza and Haku, are dead...it is time for Sasuke and Naruto to have their wounds tended to.  ****  
** **

Sasuke, grimaces and winces as Sakura pulls out the needles.  ****  
** **

“Hold still.” Sakura says as she pulls out the last needle.  ****  
** **

Tazuna’s daughter, Tsunami, comes with two bowls of water and some old rags.  ****  
** **

Sakura, places a rag in a bowl of water to get it damp. Sakura, then begins cleaning Sasuke’s wounds.   ****  
** **

Nearby, Kakashi, is doing the same with Naruto. Naruto, yells out as Kakashi, pulls out another needle.  ****  
** **

“OW!” Naruto yells. “KAKASHI SENSEI, THAT HURTS!”  ****  
** **

“Now hold still,” Kakashi says very calmly. “Just one more senbon to go.”  ****  
** **

Kakashi, pulls out the last senbon needle. Naruto, lets out a yell of pain. Tsunami, places the second bowl of water next to Kakashi. Kakashi, wets a rag and begins cleaning Naruto’s wounds.  ****  
** **

Sakura, looks over to the covered bodies of Zabuza and Haku. “What do we do with those two?” Sakura asks.  ****  
** **

Kakashi, stops momentarily to glance at the covered bodies. “We will bury them.” Kakashi says.  ****  
** **

Tazuna, and Tazuna’s grandson Inari, are sitting nearby. Tazuna, gets up.  ****  
** **

“I know a good place to bury these two.” Tazuna says. “I will take you there as soon as you are done patching those two up.”  ****  
** **

Kakashi, simply nods and goes back to cleaning Naruto’s wounds.  ****  
** **

Sasuke, closes his eyes. He is thinking about his sharingan. Sasuke, wonders when he should bring this up to Kakashi. Sasuke, does not want to bring this up in front of Sakura or Naruto. Sasuke, does not want Sakura to make a big deal out of it.  ****  
** **

Sasuke, opens his eyes as Sakura, begins applying bandages. He looks out the window as a strange feeling overcomes him. It is the exact same feeling that he had the other night.  ****  
** **

_What is this feeling?_ Sasuke thinks to himself, as he stares out the window.  ****  
** **

“Um...Sasuke,” Sakura says. “Is everything ok? You’re staring out the window.”  ****  
** **

Sasuke, shakes his head. “I am fine.” Sasuke says. “I am just thinking about something.”  ****  
** **

********************************* ****  
** **

The sun is starting to set over the horizon. Annabeth, sits inside a cave. Thalia, lies on the cave floor not to far away. Just then, Luke, enters the cave with an armful of firewood. Luke, sets the firewood down on the cave floor. Luke, then walks over to Annabeth and Thalia.  ****  
** **

“She is still asleep?” Luke asks.  ****  
** **

Annabeth, nods in confirmation. “She has been asleep since we got here.”  ****  
** **

The children found this cave a while after their encounter with the four men. When they settled down, Thalia, collapsed and fell asleep. She has been out ever since then. Luke, decided to go out and gather firewood, while Annabeth stayed to watch over Thalia.  ****  
** **

Annabeth, whimpers and covers her eyes. “I’m scared Luke.” Annabeth says with tears in her eyes. “Thalia, has been out like this for hours. What if she never wakes up?!”  ****  
** **

Luke, quickly takes the small girl into his arms and comforts her. “Shh…,” Luke says soothingly. “It is going to be alright. Thalia, is stronger than she looks. She is going to be fine.”  ****  
** **

“How do you know that?!” Annabeth asks. “People’s eyes turning red is not normal!”  ****  
** **

Luke sighs. “I know.” Luke says. “But...still, Thalia is a tough demigod. She is going to be ok.”  ****  
** **

Luke and Annabeth, just sit next to Thalia’s sleeping form.  ****  
** **

...Thalia’s dreamscape… ****  
** **

_The sun shines brightly in the blue sky. Flowers of all kinds and colors, bloom in the meadow. Thalia, stands in the middle of the meadow. She steps lightly as she walks through the meadow._ ****  
** **

_Thalia, comes to a small stream with crystal clear water. Thalia, looks at her reflection in the water. Her eyes blaze blood red._ ****  
** **

_Thalia, then hears giggling and looks to her left to see two individuals. One is a teenage boy with black hair tied back into a ponytail. The boy wears a cloak that is black with red clouds printed on it. The other teenager is a girl. The girl has long flowing locks of blonde hair, and blue eyes that remind Thalia of ultramarine blue paint. The girl has smooth pale skin and red lips. The girl, also wears a simple pink dress, with a white sash._ ****  
** **

_The girl, appears to be flirting with the teenage boy. Then, the boy turns, revealing his eyes. The boy’s eyes are red, just like Thalia’s._   ****  
** **

...end of dream… ****  
** **

Thalia, stirs as her eyes flicker open. Luke and Annabeth, both gasp.  ****  
** **

“Thalia!” Annabeth says.  ****  
** **

Thalia, sits up as she blinks a few times. She looks over to her friends.  ****  
** **

“Luke...Annabeth, what happened?” Thalia, asks with a groggy voice.  ****  
** **

“You collapsed after we reached this cave.” Luke says. “You have been out for hours!”  ****  
** **

“Oh…,” Thalia says as she looks down. Then, she suddenly remembers her eyes. Thalia, looks at her friends.  ****  
** **

“Are my eyes still red?” Thalia asks.  ****  
** **

Luke, shakes his head. “Fortunately...no,” Luke says. “Thank Zeus your eyes returned to normal.”  ****  
** **

Thalia, closes her eyes. She can’t get the image of the teenage boy with similar eyes out of her head. Thalia, wants to confide in her friends about her dream. However, Thalia, decides to keep it to herself.  ****  
** **

Luke, takes a pop tart out of his bag. “You hungry?” Luke asks.  ****  
** **

Thalia, shakes her head. “No.” Thalia says. She lies back down on the cave floor. “I would rather sleep.”  ****  
** **

Luke, puts the pop tart back into his bag. “I am actually not hungry either.” Luke says.  ****  
** **

“I am not hungry either.” Annabeth says. She then yawns. “I would actually rather sleep as well.”  ****  
** **

Luke, lets out a yawn. “You know what…,” Luke says. “I would rather go to bed as well.”  ****  
** **

Luke, walks over to the prepared campfire. Luke, takes a box of matches out of his bag. Luke, then takes a match and rubs it to get a flame. Luke throws the match onto the wood. Within minutes, the children have a roaring fire.  ****  
** **

Luke, walks back to the others and lies down on the cave floor. Annabeth, also lies down on the cave floor. After about ten minutes...Luke and Annabeth, are fast asleep.  ****  
** **

Thalia, slowly brings herself to a sitting position. She silently opens her bag which is lying next to her. Thalia, opens a secret compartment within her bag, and takes out a picture. It is a picture of herself and her little brother, Jason. The picture was taken just before Jason, disappeared all those years ago.  ****  
** **

Thalia, blinks as she stares at the picture. The teenage girl from her dream had the same blonde hair as Jason. Just thinking about it brings back many memories. Thalia’s hand trembles a little. Thalia, closes her eyes. A single tear, falls from each eye.


	6. Uchiha dreams

The fire is starting to die out in Itachi and Kisame’s campsite. The dark sky is slowly becoming lighter. The sun is due to rise soon. 

Kisame, lies on the ground. He snores lightly in his sleep. Not too far away, Itachi is also lying on the ground. Itachi, twitches slightly in his sleep. His face scrunches up a little. 

...Itachi’s dreamscape…

_ The sun sets over a village nestled within a valley. On a tall plateau, a large meadow with a waterfall, and small stream running through it, sits adjacent to a mountaintop. The waterfall, cascades off of the mountaintop, runs through the stream and then cascades over the edge of the meadow. The new waterfall, creates a river that runs through the village.  _

_ A younger Itachi, stands in the meadow. A girl, about the same age, stands next to Itachi. The girl, has long blonde hair, ultramarine blue eyes, light skin, and red lips. Very light colored freckles, line the girls upper cheeks and top of her nose.   _

_ The girl, smiles at Itachi. “I told you it was beautiful up here.” The girl says.  _

_ The younger Itachi nods. “Yes it is very beautiful up here.” The younger Itachi says. “It is beautiful, just like you Sakiko.”  _

_ The girl, Sakiko, blushes and looks away. “...Thank you...Itachi.” Sakiko says.  _

_ Sakiko, looks back at the younger Itachi. Their eyes meet for a few seconds. Then, slowly they bring their lips together into a kiss. _

….end of dream….

Present day Itachi, slowly opens his eyes. Itachi, stares at the morning sky as he tries to process his weird dream. 

_ So strange…, _ Itachi inwardly muses to himself.  _ Why am I dreaming about that? It has been years since I visited the village belonging to the Araya clan. _

Itachi, slowly brings himself to a sitting position. He looks over to where Kisame is sleeping. Kisame, snores lightly as he turns over. All of the sudden, Kisame, opens his eyes as a beam of sunlight hits his face. 

“Uh...morning already huh.” Kisame says with a very groggy voice. 

Kisame, slowly sits up. Then, he notices that Itachi is already awake. Kisame, grins. 

“You’re already up I see.” Kisame says.

Itachi, does not respond. He simply stares ahead at the forest. Kisame, frowns. 

“Are you alright Itachi?” Kisame asks. “You’re acting a little different today. Is something bothering you?” 

Itachi, quickly regains his composure. “Nothing is bothering me.” Itachi simply says. 

Kisame, narrows his eyes, as if not completely believing his partner. However, Kisame eventually shrugs his shoulders. 

“Alright, if you say so.” Kisame says as he gets up. Kisame, then heads for a small spring to get a drink and wash his face. 

Itachi, just sits on the ground. Eventually, he stands up. Itachi, then looks at the horizon. 

_ Why did I dream of the Araya village? _ Itachi thinks to himself.  _ Why did I dream of that girl? Sakiko. _

***********************************

All is quiet within the Land of Waves. In the horizon, the dark sky is slowly lightening. Crickets let out their last chirps as dawn approaches. 

The house belonging to Tazuna and his family, is silent. In the living room, Team Seven sleeps on the floor. Naruto, turns slightly on his futon. Naruto, lets out a few light snores. 

Kakashi, lays silently on his futon. Kakashi’s headband lies next to the futon. 

Sakura, lies silently on her futon. The girl, twitches slightly in her sleep. 

Sasuke, lies on his own futon. Sasuke’s face scrunches up as he tosses and turns. 

...Sasuke’s dreamscape... 

_ Bodies litter the street. Blood is splattered everywhere. A younger Sasuke, stands in the street. A teenage Itachi stands a few meters away. The teenage Itachi, looks at little Sasuke with cold and uncaring black eyes.  _

_ Itachi, suddenly turns. The younger Sasuke, flinches and backs away, terrified.  _

_ Itachi, just scoffs. “You are not even worth killing.” Itachi says. “Foolish little brother.”  _

_ Itachi, then looks little Sasuke right in the eyes. “If you ever wish to kill me one day in revenge, then hate me and survive. Cling to your pathetic existence.” Itachi says. _

_ Itachi, closes his eyes. After a few seconds, Itachi, opens his eyes. The teenaged Itachi’s eyes now blaze red.  _

_ “One day…,” The teenaged Itachi begins. The teenaged Itachi’s eyes start to form a black pinwheel in them. “When you possess these eyes...come and find me...and you shall face me!”  _

_ Little Sasuke, then gasps and his eyes droop. Within minutes everything goes black.  _

_ After awhile the blackness fades into bright light. The bright light forms into the image of a meadow. A teenaged Itachi, sits in the meadow, with a teenage girl. The teenaged girl, has long blonde hair, ultramarine blue eyes, light skin, a lightly freckled nose and cheeks, and red lips.  _

_ The teenage girl, smiles at Itachi, whom smiles back. The pair, then kiss and lay in the meadow together.  _

_ “Sakiko…,” The teenaged Itachi says.  _

_ “Itachi…,” The girl, Sakiko, says.  _

_ The teenaged Itachi and Sakiko, then kiss again, this time more passionately. Then, Itachi, takes off the cloak that he is wearing. Sakiko, takes off her dress. Itachi, takes off the rest of his clothing. Itachi and Sakiko, now lay naked in the meadow. _

...end of dream…

Sasuke, awakens with a start. His eyes are wide as he tries to process his dream. Sakura, whom is lying close by, awakens and looks at Sasuke. Sakura, gets up from her futon and crawls over to Sasuke. 

“Sasuke?!” Sakura asks with concern. “What is the matter?” 

Sasuke, quickly shakes his head. “Nothing…,” Sasuke says. “Just a weird dream is all. I will be fine.” 

Sakura’s eyes widen. “Dream?” Sakura asks. 

Kakashi, slowly opens his eyes. Naruto, snorts as he opens his eyes. Kakashi, slowly sits up and looks over towards Sasuke and Sakura. 

“What’s going on?” Kakashi asks. 

“Sasuke, says that he had a weird dream.” Sakura says. 

Kakashi’s eyes narrow. “Weird dream?” Kakashi says questionly. 

Sasuke, gets up from his futon. “I would rather not talk about it.” Sasuke says. “I feel like sitting on the veranda for a little bit.” 

Sakura, blinks a few times. “Alright.” Sakura says as she notices that it is morning. “I will be in the bathroom if you need me.” 

Kakashi, watches Sasuke, walk away. The jounin can tell that something is bothering his student. 

Sasuke, silently opens the shoji screen leading out to the veranda of Tazuna’s house. Sasuke, sits down and watches the sunrise over the sea. 

Sasuke, blinks a few times and looks down at the water. He has not dreamed about that night for a very long time. 

_ Why did I dream about that night?  _ Sasuke inwardly asks himself.  _ And...the second part of my dream...why did I dream about something like that? _

Sasuke, narrows his eyes.  _ Why did he dream about his hated older brother, undressing himself like that while laying with a girl? _

After a few minutes, A thought soon comes to Sasuke’s mind. His eyes widen. Were Itachi and the mysterious girl, planning on having sexual intercourse together? Why? 

Sasuke, sighs. He gets up and heads back inside. Team Seven shall be leaving the Land of Waves today. Sasuke, figures that he better start packing. 

************************************

Luke and Annabeth, both look outside the cave as they drink from their water bottles. 

Luke, looks over to where Thalia, is laying. Thalia, is still fast asleep. Annabeth, looks over at Thalia’s sleeping form. 

“This is weird.” Annabeth says. “Thalia, is usually up before me.” 

“I know.” Luke says. Luke, straightens himself and looks back outside the cave. Luke, sighs. 

“Something really weird happened yesterday.” Luke says. “Thalia’s eyes have never changed like that, not since I have known her. And...did you see how Thalia fought after her eyes turned red?”

“Yeah…,” Annabeth says. “Thalia fought with such ferociousness and skill. I have never seen her fight like that.” 

“And…,” Luke begins. “Did you see how those guys reacted when they saw her eyes? Those guys definitely  _ know _ what happened to Thalia’s eyes. They have seen those eyes before, for sure.” 

Annabeth, narrows her eyes. “But...this is a different world.” Annabeth says. “How is that possible?” 

Luke, takes a deep breath. “I don’t know.” Luke says. 

Thalia, lies silently on the ground. Her face scrunches up as she turns slightly. 

...Thalia’s dreamscape…

_ The sun sets over a village nestled within a valley. On a tall plateau, a large meadow with a waterfall, and small stream running through it, sits adjacent to a mountaintop. It is the same meadow from Thalia’s last dream.  _

_ The teenage boy and girl from Thalia’s last dream, lay in the meadow together.  _

_ The boy, smiles at the girl. “You are very beautiful, Sakiko.” The boy says. “Don’t let anybody tell you otherwise. The other villagers are foolish to shun you, all because of your grandmother’s reputation. Family history does not define who you are. You deserve to be given a chance by the other villagers.”  _

_ The girl, Sakiko, blushes hard. “Thank you...Itachi.” Sakiko says.  _

_ The boy, Itachi, smiles. “The most beautiful feature on you is your eyes.” Itachi says. “I have never seen such beautiful blue eyes before.”  _

_ The girl, Sakiko, blushes even more. “...Thank you...Itachi.” Sakiko says.  _

_ Sakiko, looks back at the boy, Itachi. Their eyes meet for a few seconds. Then, slowly they bring their lips together into a passionate kiss.  _

_ “Sakiko…,” The teenaged Itachi says.  _

_ “Itachi…,” Sakiko, says.  _

_ The teenaged Itachi and Sakiko, then kiss again, this time more passionately. Then, Itachi, takes off the cloak that he is wearing. Sakiko, takes off her dress. Itachi, takes off the rest of his clothing. Itachi and Sakiko, now lay naked in the meadow.  _

_ The scene goes black for a few seconds. A new image soon forms. Sakiko, is standing alone at a large gate. Sakiko, sobs her heart out as she stares out past the gate.  _

_ Sakiko, sniffles. “Why...why Itachi…,” Sakiko says to herself. “You...left without saying goodbye. I...I thought you liked me. You said that I was beautiful.”  _

_ A man with short brown hair, ultramarine blue eyes, and fair skin, approaches Sakiko. The man puts a hand on Sakiko’s shoulder. A woman with brown hair, light blue eyes, and pink lips, walks past the pair. The woman, scoffs at the sight.  _

_ “That is what the girl gets for falling for a rogue!” The woman says with a cruel voice.  _

_ Sakiko, cries even harder at the woman’s words. The man, scowls at the woman’s retreating form.  _

...end of dream…

Thalia, slowly opens her eyes. She sits up and simply stares at the cave wall in front of her, as she tries to process her weird dream. Luke, walks up to Thalia. Luke, frowns as he waves his hand in front of Thalia’s face. 

“Hello, earth to Thalia!” Luke says. “Are you ok?” 

Thalia, snaps out of it. She looks at Luke. “I am ok Luke.” Thalia says. “I was just thinking about something.” 

Thalia, then notices that Annabeth is awake as well. Light streams into the cave. 

“How long have you and Annabeth been up?” Thalia asks. 

Luke, shrugs his shoulders. “About a half hour I would say.” Luke says. “Not very long.” 

“Oh…,” Thalia says. She looks down. 

All of the sudden, Thalia’s stomach rumbles very loudly. Luke and Annabeth’s stomachs also rumble. Luke and Annabeth, take granola bars out of their packs. Thalia, looks at her pack with indecision. However, hunger wins. Thalia, opens her bag and takes out a granola bar. 

The three children, eat their breakfast in silence. After she is done eating, Thalia, puts the wrapper in her bag. Thalia, then walks towards the cave entrance and peeks outside. Perhaps if the group gets going as soon as possible, Thalia will forget about her weird dream. 

Thalia, carefully scans the forest, looking for any signs of danger. Thalia, does not see anything out of the ordinary. She looks at her companions. 

“I don’t see any danger.” Thalia says. “Let’s get going.” 

Luke, shrugs his shoulders. “Sounds good to me.” Luke says as he gets to his feet. Luke, puts his granola bar wrapper into his bag. 

Annabeth, puts her granola bar wrapper into her bag. However, as Annaeth tries to zip up her bag, the zipper becomes stuck. Annabeth, is so busy fumbling with the zipper, she doesn’t notice the granola bar wrapper fall right back out of her bag. After a few minutes of struggling, Annabeth finally gets her bag zipped up. Annabeth, gets to her feet and hurriedly follows her companions, not even noticing the granola bar wrapper. 

Luke and Thalia, wait at the cave entrance for Annabeth. Luke, looks concernedly at Thalia. Thalia, is staring blankly out at the horizon. 

“Are you sure that you are ok?” Luke asks. “You sure don’t look like you are fine.” 

Thalia, sighs. “It’s nothing.” Thalia says. “Let’s just go.” 

Luke, blinks a few times, confused at Thalia’s attitude. However, Luke, just sighs. Annabeth, finally exits the cave and joins her friends. 

“I’m ready!” Annabeth says. 

Thalia, sighs. “Alright…,” Thalia says. “Let’s head out.” 

Thalia, leads the way. Thalia, unknowingly steps in a patch of mud that lies next to the cave entrance, leaving a clear shoe impression in the earth. 

Inside the cave, all is quiet. The fire that Luke made yesterday, is completely out. Ash is all that remains of the wood that Luke used for the fire. Annabeth’s forgotten granola bar wrapper, lies just a few feet away. The cold ash, the lonely granola bar wrapper and the single shoe impression are the only evidence that the cave was even occupied. 


	7. A very fishy challenge

Thalia, leads the way as her, Luke and Annabeth, walk through the forest. Thalia, is silent as she walks. Luke, is a little uncomfortable with the silent atmosphere. Luke, clears his throat.   ****  
** **

“Thalia…,” Luke says. “I can see that something is bothering you. What is wrong?”  ****  
** **

Thalia, grits her teeth. “I am ok!” Thalia says with a snappy voice. “I am just fine.”  ****  
** **

Luke and Annabeth are both taken aback by Thalia’s sudden change in attitude.  ****  
** **

Thalia, looks down. Thalia, is ashamed with herself for snapping at Luke like she did. Deep down, Thalia feels like she should confide in her friends about her strange dreams. However, Thalia herself does not know what to make of her strange dreams. Would Luke and Annabeth really understand then?  ****  
** **

Thalia, sighs. “I am sorry I snapped like that.” Thalia says. “I am ok...really.”  ****  
** **

Luke, blinks a few times. He is very unconvinced by Thalia’s words. However, Luke, decides to just let it go. Luke, shrugs his shoulders.  ****  
** **

“Alright.” Luke says. “If you say so. Can we please talk about something though? I don’t like walking in silence.”  ****  
** **

Thalia, closes her eyes. “Alright, we can do that.” Thalia says. “What do you want to talk about?”  ****  
** **

Luke, furrows his brows to think for a minute. “Well,” Luke says. “We could talk about your eyes.”  ****  
** **

Thalia, narrows her eyes. “I am just so confused as to why my eyes changed like they did.” Thalia says. “I don’t remember my eyes ever doing that before.”  ****  
** **

“You are absolutely certain that your eyes have never done that before?” Luke asks. “I mean you would have never known if Annabeth and I hadn’t pointed it out to you. The two of us have only known each other for a few years. We have only known Annabeth for about four months.”  ****  
** **

Thalia’s eyes widen. “That is true.” Thalia admits. “Maybe my eyes have done that before and I just never realized it.”  ****  
** **

“Annabeth and I discussed it earlier since you slept in.” Luke says. “It happened when you fought those men who attacked us. Right when it happened...did you see the look in the men’s eyes? They all looked shocked, like they had seen something like that before.”  ****  
** **

Thalia, narrows her eyes. “Really?” Thalia asks. “But this is a different world. How could those men have seen my eyes before?”  ****  
** **

“That is a very good question.” Luke says. “Unfortunately...I do not have the answer to that question.”  ****  
** **

Thalia, thinks of her dream. That mysterious boy with those similar eyes. Itachi? Perhaps he could hold the answer to Thalia’s question.  ****  
** **

Thalia, looks up at the sky. She thinks of the gods, and more specifically her father Zeus.  ****  
** **

_ Father…, _ Thalia thinks to herself, sending a prayer to the gods.  _ If you know where I can find information on my eyes, please send a sign...I would greatly…. _ ****  
** **

Thalia, suddenly gasps when realization hits her. This is a different world. Zeus, cannot hear her prayer. Praying to the gods is useless. The gods cannot help them if they are in this world.  ****  
** **

Thalia, stops walking. “Guy’s…,” Thalia says. “I just thought of something. This is a different world. It is true that monsters can no longer attack us...but that also means our godly parents cannot help us either if we get into trouble. They cannot hear any of our prayers. We are truly on our own now.”  ****  
** **

Luke and Annabeth, look at one another with wide eyes. Annabeth, is the first to speak.  ****  
** **

“You’re right!” Annabeth says. “We can’t ask the gods for help anymore. Oh no. I guess we really are on our own.”  ****  
** **

Luke, scoffs. “Hey, it is not like the gods helped us much in the first place!” Luke says. “The gods rarely helped us when we were back in our own world. We can get along just fine without them.”  ****  
** **

Thalia and Annabeth, both look at one another. Luke, is right. The gods rarely helped them. But still...they can’t pray to their godly parents to ask for help anymore.  ****  
** **

Luke, wraps an arm around Thalia. Luke, puts a hand on Annabeth’s shoulder.  ****  
** **

“Besides…,” Luke begins. “We have each other. After the three of us met, we began relying on each other. As long as the three of us live, we can always rely on each other. It’s the three of us against the world.”  ****  
** **

Thalia and Annabeth, blink a few times. Then, they manage to smile. Luke, is right. The three of them have each other. They are a family. The three of them shall stick together, no matter what happens.  ****  
** **

“You’re right Luke.” Thalia says with a smile. “The three of us shall always have each others backs.”  ****  
** **

“Yeah!” Annabeth says. “We are family!”  ****  
** **

“Family.” Luke says with a grin. ****  
** **

“Family.” Thalia says with a smile. “Always.”  ****  
** **

The three demigods break apart and start walking again. Then, after two minutes of walking straight, the children come to a break in the trees. The three children step out of the forest.  ****  
** **

Before the three demigods eyes, lies a meadow. Flowers of all colors, shapes and sizes cover the ground in thick patches. Butterflies fly through the meadow and hover above flowers. Bees fly from flower to flower, collecting pollen.  ****  
** **

Annabeth, gasps at the sight. “So pretty.” Annabeth says. “It’s so much like the last meadow.”  ****  
** **

Annabeth, runs over towards the edge of the meadow. The little girl crouches down and starts admiring the flowers. Luke and Thalia, follow closely behind. All of the sudden, Thalia, turns to the left and sees a very peculiar sight. A bunch of houses grouped together, which look like they have been burned. Thalia, taps on Luke’s shoulder and points to the buildings when Luke gives her a questioning look. Luke’s eyes widen at the sight.  ****  
** **

“Wow, I wonder what happened to this place.” Luke says as he starts walking towards the burned buildings.  ****  
** **

Annabeth, looks up from the flowers and gasps at the sight. She looks at Thalia, who shrugs her shoulders. Annabeth, gets up from her crouching position and starts following Luke. Thalia, follows close behind Annabeth.  ****  
** **

When Thalia and Annabeth reach the cluster of burned buildings, Luke, is already examining one of the buildings. Luke, peeks inside holes and looks for any signs of human habitation. Luke, turns to Thalia and Annabeth.  ****  
** **

“This place is totally abandoned!” Luke says. “No one is here.”  ****  
** **

Thalia, glances at all of the burned buildings. “Whatever happened here...it caused everyone who lived here to leave.”  ****  
** **

Annabeth, happens to glance to the right. She gasps.  ****  
** **

“Thalia! Luke!” Annabeth says. “That looks like a lake!”  ****  
** **

Thalia and Luke, look to the left and gasp. Before them, is a large lake. Luke, approaches the water’s edge. Luke, looks into the water. Fish swim in the water. Luke, grins when an idea comes to mind. He turns to Thalia and Annabeth.  ****  
** **

“How about we have fish for lunch?” Luke says with a grin.  ****  
** **

************************************ ****  
** **

Kakashi, stares ahead as he walks. Sasuke, walks close behind him. Naruto and Sakura, walk not too far behind. Naruto, grins as he walks. They left the Land of Waves a few hours ago.  ****  
** **

“Oh yeah!” Naruto says very loudly. “We completed our first A-rank mission!”  ****  
** **

Sakura, turns and gives Naruto a serious look. “You and Sasuke almost died!” Sakura says with a serious tone of voice. “That is not something to cheer about.”  ****  
** **

Sasuke, closes his eyes, annoyed. Kakashi, sweat drops. However, Kakashi, tenses when he notices a strong aura nearby. Kakashi, stops walking. Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto, all stop walking. Sasuke, looks up at Kakashi with confusion.  ****  
** **

“What is it?” Sasuke asks.  ****  
** **

Kakashi, looks to the left. “I sense a powerful aura nearby.” Kakashi says. “It is coming from that direction.”  ****  
** **

Naruto, grins. “If it is another shinobi like Zabuza, I’ll flatten them no problem!” Naruto says with confidence.  ****  
** **

“All of you stay here while I go investigate.” Kakashi says as he begins walking towards the left.  ****  
** **

Naruto’s face falls. He narrows his eyes and lets out an annoyed huff. Kakashi, enters the forest. About ten meters away from the forest line, lies a quaint little cave. Kakashi, walks up and begins examining the area. Inside the cave, is the remains of a fire. Kakashi, carefully feels the ashes. The ashes are cold as stone. The fire has been out for awhile.  ****  
** **

Kakashi, looks around. No one is around. However, Kakashi, does feel a strong aura. Whoever made this fire was powerful enough to leave a residual aura within the cave. That is some serious power.  ****  
** **

Then, out of the corner of his eye, Kakashi, spots something lying on the ground. Kakashi, picks up the object to discover that it is foil. It actually looks like a food wrapper of some kind. The food wrapper crunches in Kakashi’s hand. Kakashi, carefully examines the food wrapper. The wrapper is covered with strange images and strange writing. Kakashi, narrows his uncovered eye.  ****  
** **

_ Such strange writing, _ Kakashi thinks to himself.  _ And such strange images. I have never seen anything like this before. _ ****  
** **

Kakashi, then sniffs the inside of the wrapper. The smell is very sweet. Whatever food this wrapper contained must have had sugar in it. A  _ lot _ of sugar.  ****  
** **

Kakashi, carefully places the mysterious food wrapper in his bag. He shall show this to the Hokage when him and the rest of Team Seven arrives at the village.  ****  
** **

Kakashi, exits the cave and out of the corner of his eye, he notices something else. A strange shoe impression. By the size of it, it looks like it had to have been made by a child. Kakashi, steps back to think for a minute. A child? Could a child have really left such a powerful residual aura behind? Kakashi, shakes his head. With no other clues as to who occupied this cave, there is nothing that Kakashi can do except tell the Hokage about this.  ****  
** **

Kakashi, sighs and starts heading back to where he left his students.  ****  
** **

******************************* ****  
** **

Luke, Thalia, and Annabeth look at the water with thoughtful looks. A circle of prepared firewood lies not too far away. After the children gathered the needed firewood in order to cook the fish they intended to catch, they realized that they had a problem on their hands. How exactly are they supposed to catch a fish without a fishing pole?  ****  
** **

Luke, sighs. Never before have the three demigods attempted to catch live fish to eat. Luke, always stole fish from boat docks for them to eat. However, there are no boat docks or fishermen to steal fish from. It is up to the children to figure out a way to catch fish themselves.  ****  
** **

Thalia, huffs in annoyance. “This is just terrific.” Thalia says with a voice full of annoyance. “We have a fire prepared but we can’t catch any stinking fish.”  ****  
** **

Luke, rubs his chin thoughtfully. “Don’t give up now.” Luke says. “There has to be a way to catch some fish. We just have to put our brains together and think for a minute.”  ****  
** **

Luke, closes his eyes. When he was very young, he used to go fishing with his maternal grandfather. However, they used fishing poles and nets. Catching fish without fishing poles and nets is not within Luke’s expertise.  ****  
** **

Luke sighs. “I used to fish with my grandpa when I was young.” Luke says. “However, we used fishing poles and nets. I don’t really know how to catch fish without any equipment.”  ****  
** **

However, Luke gets a determined look in his eyes. “But this is no reason to give up.” Luke says. “We just have to get creative. Let’s think of this as a test. We are gonna run out of food eventually. We are gonna have to find ways to feed ourselves in this world. This is just a challenge that we have to overcome.”  ****  
** **

Annabeth, closes her eyes and crosses her arms, deep in thought. After a few minutes, Annabeth opens her eyes. She looks at Thalia.  ****  
** **

“Sword!” Annabeth says. “Thalia, your sword! You can use your sword like a spear!”  ****  
** **

Thalia and Luke, both furrow their brows. The two demigods look at one another. Eventually, Thalia, sighs and pulls out her sword.  ****  
** **

“I suppose it is worth a try.” Thalia says.  ****  
** **

Thalia, stands at the water’s edge. She holds her sword pointed downward towards the water. Fish swim beneath the tip of the sword. Thalia, takes a deep breath.  ****  
** **

_ Here goes nothing…, _ Thalia thinks to herself.  ****  
** **

As quick as she possibly can, Thalia, thrusts her sword at a fish. However, she misses by mere inches. Luke, frowns.  ****  
** **

“Just try again.” Luke says encouragingly.  ****  
** **

Thalia, takes another deep breath and tries again, only to get the same result. Thalia, keeps at this for ten minutes. Luke, eventually hangs his head down in defeat.  ****  
** **

“It’s no use Thals.” Luke says. “We need to think of something else.”  ****  
** **

Thalia, sighs and puts her sword back. Annabeth, takes out her knife.  ****  
** **

“I’ll try to stab a fish with my knife then!” Annabeth says with determination.  ****  
** **

Annabeth, approaches the water and waits for a fish to approach. Annabeth, thrusts her knife at a fish, only to miss. Undeterred, Annabeth tries again, only to get the same result. Thalia, sighs.  ****  
** **

“Stop Annabeth, it’s no use.” Thalia says. “You’ll just wear yourself out.”  ****  
** **

Annabeth, sighs and stops thrusting her knife into the water. Annabeth, walks back to go sit by Thalia. All of the sudden, Luke gets an idea. Luke, then pulls some whitish string out of his bag. Luke, then grabs a long stick and ties the string to one end of the stick.  ****  
** **

“Whalla!” Luke says with a grin. “I made a fishing pole!”  ****  
** **

Luke, holds his homemade ‘fishing pole’, over the water. The tip of the string, floats on top of the water. Within minutes a fish bites down on the string. Luke, pulls the stick back as fast as he can. However, without a hook, there is nothing to keep the fish on the string. The fish let’s go of the string just as Luke, pulls it halfway out of the water. Luke, is too slow to catch the falling fish. The fish escapes back into the water.  ****  
** **

Luke, huffs in annoyance. He lowers the stick so that the string is floating on top of the water again. Another fish bites onto the string a few minutes later. Luke, pulls the stick, only to have it break in half.   ****  
** **

Thalia and Annabeth, blink very surprised at this turn of events. Luke, looks at his now broken homemade, fishing pole with disbelief. Luke, then hangs his head down in defeat. Luke, retrieves his string and simply walks back to where Thalia and Annabeth are sitting.  ****  
** **

Thalia, looks up at the sky. She thinks of lightning. Thalia’s eyes then widen. Wait...lightning. That’s it!  ****  
** **

“I know!” Thalia says with a smirk. “I will summon lightning and  _ electrocute _ some fish for us!”  ****  
** **

Annabeth, sighs. “I have read that when lightning strikes water bodies of water such as the ocean or lakes,” Annabeth says. “The electrical current tends to stay near the surface. Fish swim  _ under _ the surface of the water. It’s unlikely that you would be able to get a fish right when it would be at the surface of the water.”  ****  
** **

Thalia, gets a little deflated when she hears this. She sighs and crosses her arms. Annabeth, looks at the water.  ****  
** **

“And just think.” Annabeth says. “If the lightning did travel all the way through the water, you would probably kill  _ everything _ in the lake. Just look at the size of it. There has to be at least a hundred or so fish in that lake. We couldn’t eat a hundred fish before they spoiled.”  ****  
** **

Thalia, blinks a few times. “You’re right Annabeth.” Thalia says. “That would be incredibly wasteful.”  ****  
** **

Luke, sighs. “It was a novel idea though.” Luke says.  ****  
** **

Luke, suddenly looks at his golf club. Another idea comes to mind. Luke, grins and grabs his golf club. Thalia and Annabeth, look at Luke, very confused.  ****  
** **

“Luke?” Annabeth asks.  ****  
** **

Luke grins widely and holds up his golf club. “I just had an idea!” Luke says. “I could simply hit the fish with my golf club.”  ****  
** **

Thalia, narrows her eyes. “You mean ‘club’ the fish to death?” Thalia asks.  ****  
** **

“Yep.” Luke says.  ****  
** **

Luke, takes off his shoes and socks. Luke, then rolls up the ends of his jeans. Luke, enters the water just about an inch past his ankles. Luke, looks at Thalia and Annabeth.  ****  
** **

“I’ll wait for the fish to come to me and then I’ll whack ‘em’.” Luke says.  ****  
** **

After a few minutes of waiting, Luke, finally brings his golf club down and strikes the water with such force that water flies everywhere. Thalia and Annabeth, shield their faces. Luke, frowns.  ****  
** **

“Darn it…,” Luke says. “I missed.”  ****  
** **

Luke, strikes the water again. Luke frowns again.  ****  
** **

“Darn it.” Luke says. “Missed again.”  ****  
** **

Luke, strikes the water with his golf club again. Same result.  ****  
** **

“Darn it.” Luke says with even more frustration.  ****  
** **

Luke, thrusts his golf club into the water again. “Darn it.” Luke says. Luke thrusts the golf club into the water again. “Darn it.”  ****  
** **

Thalia lets a deep sigh. She has a feeling that this is going to go on forever unless she says something.  ****  
** **

“Luke, just give up.” Thalia says. “It isn’t working. All your doing is splashing water everywhere.”  ****  
** **

Luke, sighs and stops trying to whack fish. Luke, steps back onto the shore, defeated. Annabeth, rests her head in her hands and just looks at the water.  ****  
** **

_ If only there was some way to trap the fish…, _ Annabeth thinks to herself.  _ Just then an idea comes to mind. A trap. A fish trap. _ ****  
** **

Annabeth, narrows her eyes as she thinks about everything that she used to read back at home. Annabeth, was such a bookworm she practically read every book in her father’s office. Annabeth, actually recalls reading about fishing methods used by ancient cultures. One such method is now standing out in Annabeth’s mind. A fish weir.  ****  
** **

Annabeth, looks at the water. How could they build a fish weir? Annabeth knows that fish weirs work best in flowing bodies of water like rivers and streams. The fish would swim right into the trap.  ****  
** **

All of the sudden, Annabeth looks at the string that Luke used to make his homemade fishing pole. An idea soon comes to mind. Annabeth, looks at her companions.  ****  
** **

“I have an idea.” Annabeth says. “We have to build a fish trap and then lure the fish into it. We just need to gather some sticks. A  _ lot _ of sticks.”  ****  
** **

*********************************** ****  
** **

Jarou, stands in front of a well of water. He looks carefully into the water. Jarou, holds his hand over the water. An image in the water is of a forest. Jarou, moves his hand and the image shifts. The image in the water is now of a huge city. Jarou, moves his hand some more and starts to examine the shifting images. After a few minutes, Jarou, sighs and uses his hand to change the image again. The image in the water is now of a different city. Jarou, carefully examines the different views of the city that come into focus while he moves his hand.  ****  
** **

However, after about ten more minutes of doing this, Jarou, sighs and gives up. He undoes the jutsu and walks away.  ****  
** **

Jarou, look up at the sky.  _ I have checked every major city up and down the east coast and yet…, _ Jarou thinks.  _ I still cannot find Thalia. _ ****  
** **

Jarou, blinks and looks out at the village below him. Jarou, knows that when a certain person cannot be found using the Araya’s special interdimensional viewing jutsu, then it is a sign that he or she is dead.  ****  
** **

Jarou, sighs and hangs his head down. Rina told Jarou not to lose hope. However, Jarou, has lost all hope that Thalia is alive. The very fact that she has not been seen for many days is an ominous sign.  ****  
** **

Jarou, looks back up at the sky. A single tear slides down each cheek. Jarou, chokes back a sob.  ****  
** **

“...Thalia…,” Jarou whispers to himself.  ****  
** **

************************************* ****  
** **

The sun is high in the sky. Thalia, looks down at the water, as she stands in the shallows. Annabeth, stands close by. Luke, holds a stick with the whitish string tied to it. In the middle of all three children, is a circular cage made of sticks. Each stick stands upright, held into place by the sediment that it has been shoved into. The sticks are placed in a way so that fish cannot swim out of it. However, a small opening, sits on one side of the circular cage.  ****  
** **

Luke, looks at Annabeth. “What is this supposed to be called again?” Luke asks.  ****  
** **

“It’s called a fish weir.” Annabeth says. “It’s a type of fish trap.”  ****  
** **

Annabeth, points to the opening. “Fish swim into the opening…,” Annabeth says. “And the opening is angled and shaped so that the fish have trouble escaping.”  ****  
** **

Annabeth, sighs. “This trap actually works best with running water.” Annabeth says. “If a fish weir is placed in a river, then the fish have to swim into the weir because of the current. Then, they become trapped inside it!”  ****  
** **

Thalia and Luke, look at one another. “This is a lake though.” Thalia says. “There is no current.”  ****  
** **

“That’s where Luke’s string comes in.” Annabeth says. She points to the string and stick. “Luke, will move the stick and string like he was doing earlier. Luke, will move the string inside of the weir and the fish will see it and swim through the opening. Then, Thalia or I will just have to grab the fish.”  ****  
** **

Luke, sighs. “It’s worth a try I guess.” Luke says. “We’ll never know if it will work unless we try it out.”  ****  
** **

Luke, lowers the string onto the water’s surface. He moves the stick and string, mimicking the movements of a bug struggling on the water. Within minutes a curious fish swims in through the opening of the weir. The fish follows the string.  ****  
** **

“Now!” Annabeth says.  ****  
** **

Thalia, quickly reaches in with both hands and grabs the slippery fish. Thalia, carefully holds the struggling fish with both hands.  ****  
** **

“It worked!” Thalia, says as she stares at the fish in her hands.  ****  
** **

Luke, smiles. “We actually caught a fish.” Luke says.  ****  
** **

Annabeth, then narrows her eyes when she thinks of something. “Uh, you guys, I just thought of something.” Annabeth says. “We need to  _ kill  _ the fish before we cook it. How should we do that?”  ****  
** **

Thalia and Luke, look at each other with wide eyes. That is a good question. How should they kill the fish once they catch them?  ****  
** **

Thalia, looks down at the fish in her hands. The fish moves its tail slightly. The gills on the fish move as well. The mouth of the fish moves as it gasps. The fish is slowly suffocating. The fish  _ is _ suffering. They need to act quickly.  ****  
** **

Luke, then thinks back to the days when he used to fish with his grandfather. He only saw his grandfather kill and gut one fish during his life. Luke, does remember his grandfather hitting the fish between the eyes.  ****  
** **

Annabeth, is also thinking the same thing. She once read that fish should be rendered unconscious with a blow to the head before they are ultimately killed. In this way the fish does not feel a thing.  ****  
** **

Annabeth, grabs a rock. “We need to render the fish unconscious before we kill it,” Annabeth says. “That way the fish doesn’t feel anything when it dies. This can be done by striking the head with something.”  ****  
** **

Luke, narrows his eyes. “I actually do remember my grandfather doing that to a fish.” Luke says. “I had no idea it was to render to the fish unconscious.”   ****  
** **

Thalia, takes the fish to shore and places it on the ground. Annabeth, hands Thalia, the rock. Thalia, strikes the fish above the eyes. The fish stops moving. The mouth doesn’t even move.  ****  
** **

“Ok…,” Annabeth says. “The fish looks as if it is unconscious.”  ****  
** **

Annabeth, then takes out her knife. “Now, we need to bleed the fish out.” Annabeth says. “You can do this by making a cut along the gills.”  ****  
** **

Luke, raises as brow. “I do remember my grandfather doing that as well.” Luke says.  ****  
** **

Annabeth, carefully makes a slit in the fish’s gills. Blood starts flowing out of the fish. Annabeth, then carries the fish back to the water and starts rinsing it. Thalia and Luke, head back to the weir. Luke, holds the stick and string on top of the water again. Within minutes, another curious fish swims into the weir. Thalia, grabs the fish and carries the flopping fish to the shore. Thalia, grabs the rock again and strikes the fish on the head. The fish stops moving immediately. Thalia, then uses Annabeth’s knife to slit the gills. Blood pours out of the fish’s gills. Thalia, hands the fish off to Annabeth. Thalia, wades back towards the weir. Luke, has already begun the process of luring another fish into the trap. A fish curiously swims into the weir and begins chasing the moving string. As quick as lightning, Thalia grabs the fish. Thalia, carries the flopping fish towards the shore. Thalia, strikes the fish on the head with the rock and makes the slice on the gills. Thalia, hands the bloody fish off to Annabeth to clean.  ****  
** **

Thalia and Luke, look at one another again. They caught three fish. All they need is three fish. Perfect.  ****  
** **

Once Annabeth is done cleaning all of the fish, the fish are laid out on the grass. Luke, starts the fire. Thalia, skewers each fish with a long stick. This way the fish can be held over the fire while they cook.  ****  
** **

Once the fire is going strong, the three children, hold their fish over the flames. All of the sudden, Annabeth’s stomach growls. Then, Thalia’s stomach growls. Luke’s stomach growls as well.  ****  
** **

Annabeth, frowns. “I sure hope that our fish don’t take too long to cook.” Annabeth says. “I am hungry.”  ****  
** **

“I am too.” Thalia says. “I am sure that all of our hard work will be worth it once the fish are cooked though.”  ****  
** **

“Well…,” Luke begins. “Now that we know how to catch fish, we can catch all we want as long as we stick close to water.”  ****  
** **

Thalia, nods. “That is true.” Thalia says. “I am so glad that we can catch our own fish to eat. I was getting tired of eating poptarts and granola bars.”  ****  
** **

“I was too.” Luke says admittingly.  ****  
** **

The three demigods sit around the fire, holding their fish over the hot flames. The three demigods look at one another. It is a little too quiet for their taste. But what could they talk about?  ****  
** **

Annabeth, suddenly gets an idea. She grins widely. “I know…,” Annabeth says. “We can tell stories!”  ****  
** **

Thalia and Luke, look at one another. Stories?  ****  
** **

“Stories?” Thalia asks. “What kind of stories are you talking about?”  ****  
** **

“Stories about our adventures before the three of us met of course!” Annabeth says. “The two of you have been fighting monsters a lot longer than I have. I am sure the two of you have interesting stories to tell.”  ****  
** **

Thalia, narrows her eyes. “Well,” Thalia says. “I suppose that Luke and I have had a bunch of interesting adventures. A few of those could make good stories.”  ****  
** **

Thalia, looks at Luke’s golf club. “Hey Luke…,” Thalia says. “You have never told us how you got that golf club.”  ****  
** **

Luke, raises a brow. He glances at his golf club. “My golf club?” Luke asks.  ****  
** **

Thalia and Annabeth nod. “You have had that golf club as long as I have known you.” Thalia says. “Just where did you get that thing?”  ****  
** **

Luke, straightens his shoulders. “That is true.” Luke says. “I have had this golf club for a long time. I suppose you could say that I found it a few months after I ran away from home.”  ****  
** **

Luke, blinks and sighs. “I suppose that it began lust like any other day…,” Luke says as he begins his story.  ****  
** **

Thalia and Annabeth, lean in closer, eager to hear what Luke has to tell them.


	8. Three demigods, a dog, and a cabin

Luke, smiles as he holds his golf club. Thalia and Annabeth, sit across from Luke. Their eyes are wide as he tells his story.  ****  
** **

“And so there I was,” Luke says. “Surrounded by _five_ vicious hellhounds. I knew that I was in trouble. Then, one of the hellhounds tried to jump on me. I just barely dodged it. The hellhound snapped his jaws but he didn’t get me.”  ****  
** **

Annabeth, shivers. “I am so glad the hellhound didn’t get you Luke.” Annabeth says.  ****  
** **

Luke, grins and holds up his golf club. “Then…,” Luke says. “Out of the corner of my eye...I spotted something on the ground. Dodging the jumping and snapping hellhounds, I managed to make my way towards the strange object on the ground. I realized that it was a golf club.”  ****  
** **

Luke grins and holds his golf club like he is about to swing it. “I didn’t hesitate.” Luke says. “I picked up the golf club and swung it at one of the hellhounds. The hellhound exploded into gold dust!”  ****  
** **

Annabeth and Thalia, both gasp. Their eyes are wide.  ****  
** **

“I just kept swinging.” Luke says as he makes swings the golf club. “I managed to defeat all five hellhounds. From then on, this golf club was my weapon.”  ****  
** **

Annabeth, claps her hands. “Wow!” Annabeth says. “That was amazing Luke!”  ****  
** **

Luke, grins. “Thanks Annie.” Luke says.  ****  
** **

Thalia, grins. She finishes of the last bite of her fish. She throws the stick away. Annabeth, also finishes off her fish. Annabeth, throws the stick away. Annabeth, covers her mouth as she burps a little.  ****  
** **

“Oh, excuse me.” Annabeth says. “That fish was delicious.”  ****  
** **

Thalia, smiles. “Mine was too.” Thalia says.  ****  
** **

Luke, grins as he finishes off the last bite of his fish. Luke, throws the stick off to the side. Luke, then lays down on the ground and stares up at the sky.  ****  
** **

“I was just wondering,” Luke says. “What should we do with our lives now that we are in this world? It will get tiring just walking around all of the time. Maybe we should try to settle down somewhere.”  ****  
** **

Thalia, raises a brow. “Settle down somewhere?” Thalia asks. “What do you mean by that?”  ****  
** **

“Remember that abandoned cabin we found a day or so ago?” Luke asks.  ****  
** **

Thalia and Annabeth both nod. Luke, blinks a few times.  ****  
** **

“My idea is to find another abandoned cabin and try to live in it.” Luke says. “It can be our ‘house’. We wouldn’t have to be nomads anymore.”  ****  
** **

Thalia and Annabeth look at one another. Thalia, is the first to speak.  ****  
** **

“That sounds like a nice idea.” Thalia says. “However, we would have to find a cabin by a stream or river. Once we run out of food, we would need to catch fish in order to survive.”  ****  
** **

Luke nods. “Of course.” Luke says. “I was also thinking—” ****  
** **

However, Luke, is cut off by a strange noise coming from the forest. The three demigods, instinctively grab their weapons. The three of them are used to hearing strange noises and then monsters jumping out after them. However, once the children remember that they are in a different world, they put their weapons down. However, Luke, is still on alert. Whatever made the strange noise sounds as if it is getting closer.  ****  
** **

“It can’t be a monster.” Thalia whispers to Luke. “What can it be then?”  ****  
** **

“It’s probably some kind of animal.” Annabeth whispers. “Or it could even be another person.”  ****  
** **

“If it is a person,” Luke begins. “Then I sure hope that he or she is not like the other humans we have been encountering.”  ****  
** **

“Me too.” Thalia says. “I guess that there is only one way to find out.”  ****  
** **

Thalia, gets up and slowly approaches the forest. Luke and Annabeth, watch Thalia with wide eyes.  ****  
** **

“Thalia.” Annabeth whispers. “Be careful. We have no idea what it is.”  ****  
** **

Thalia, bravely approaches the forest. A shrub suddenly starts rustling. Suddenly, a few leaves part, revealing a small black nose, attached to a white snout.  ****  
** **

Thalia’s eyes widen. _That looks like…,_ Thalia thinks to herself.  ****  
** **

However, Thalia, does not finish her thought. The black nose and white snout are soon joined by a head. A head with bright blue eyes, white fur, white ears, and a sweet looking face. The mysterious creature...is a white dog.  ****  
** **

Luke and Annabeth, slowly join Thalia’s side. Annabeth’s eyes are wide.  ****  
** **

“A dog!” Annabeth says with wide eyes. “A beautiful white dog with blue eyes!”  ****  
** **

Luke, laughs a little. “To think we were scared of a dog.” Luke says.  ****  
** **

The white dog walks out from behind the shrub. The dog, is covered with white fur all over. However, some areas are tarnished with grime. The dog looks like a husky. The dog’s ears stand tall and the tail is curled slightly. The dog’s tail wags as it approaches the children.  ****  
** **

Annabeth, gets down on her knees and holds her hand out. The dog approaches Annabeth and slowly sniffs the little girl’s hand. The dog then licks Annabeth’s hand affectionately.  ****  
** **

“Well…,” Thalia says. “At least the dog is friendly.”  ****  
** **

“Is the dog a boy or a girl?” Annabeth asks.  ****  
** **

Luke, carefully looks at the dogs behind. “It’s a girl.” Luke says.  ****  
** **

“Well then hello girl.” Annabeth says to the dog. “Where did you come from?”  ****  
** **

The dog, simply licks Annabeth’s hand again. The dog’s tail does not stop wagging.  ****  
** **

Luke, looks around. He wonders if this dog could belong to anyone. However, no one else is around.  ****  
** **

Thalia, then looks back towards the fire. The fire is now completely out. Maybe the three of them should move on now. Thalia, looks at Luke.  ****  
** **

“The fire is out.” Thalia says to Luke. “Perhaps we should move on now.”  ****  
** **

Luke, nods in agreement. “Absolutely.” Luke says.  ****  
** **

Annabeth, looks up from the dog. She looks at Thalia and Luke, who are both heading back towards the fire to gather their things. Annabeth, follows. The mysterious white dog, follows Annabeth every step of the way.  ****  
** **

Thalia, grabs her bag. Luke, grabs his bag and golf club. Annabeth, picks up her bag. The three children start walking away. The dog follows Annabeth. After a few minutes, Annabeth, turns and sees the dog following her. The dog lets out a bark.  ****  
** **

“Look Luke! Look Thalia!” Annabeth says. “The dog is following us.”  ****  
** **

Luke and Thalia, turn to see the dog licking Annabeth’s hand. Annabeth, looks at Thalia and Luke.  ****  
** **

“She wants to come with us.” Annabeth says. “She wants to be _our_ dog.”  ****  
** **

Thalia and Luke, look at one another. They know that Annabeth must be right. Why else would the dog follow them?  ****  
** **

“I think that you are right Annabeth.” Luke says. “However, if she is going to be apart of our family now, then she needs a name.”  ****  
** **

Annabeth, narrows her eyes. “You’re right Luke.” Annabeth says. “We do need to give her a name.”  ****  
** **

Thalia, narrows her eyes. “Well…,” Thalia says. “The dog is white. Snow...Snowy...and daisy might work.”  ****  
** **

Annabeth, suddenly comes up with an idea. “I know!” Annabeth says. “Let’s give her an ancient greek name! Her fur is white like the moon. Selene or Artemis might work. Selene, is the titaness of the moon.”  ****  
** **

Thalia and Luke, narrows their eyes. “Selene, doesn’t seem fitting for a dog.” Thalia says.  ****  
** **

“How about Artemis then?” Annabeth asks.  ****  
** **

Luke, gets an indescribable look on his face. Thalia, closes her eyes. Just thinking of the moon goddess, brings back memories of the groups encounter with Artemis’s hunters.”  ****  
** **

Thalia, sighs. “Remember our encounter with the Hunters of Artemis?” Thalia asks. “Remember how they treated Luke?”  ****  
** **

Annabeth, blinks and looks at the ground. “I do remember now.” Annabeth says.  ****  
** **

Annabeth, then thinks some more. “How about Sappho?” Annabeth asks. “Sappho means ‘sapphire’ in greek. The dog does have blue eyes.”  ****  
** **

Thalia, narrows her eyes. “Sappho, doesn’t sound feminine enough to me.” Thalia says.  ****  
** **

Annabeth, narrows her eyes and then goes back to thinking. After a few minutes, Annabeth, thinks of another name.  ****  
** **

“Phoebe!” Annabeth says. “Phoebe, is the titaness of prophecy. Her name means ‘bright’. Just look at how bright the dogs eyes are.”  ****  
** **

Thalia, narrows her eyes. “Phoebe, doesn’t sound like a dog’s name either.” Thalia says.  ****  
** **

Annabeth’s face falls. She sighs. “I guess you are right.” Annabeth says.  ****  
** **

Annabeth, then closes her eyes and tries to think of more names. After a few more minutes, Annabeth opens her eyes.  ****  
** **

“Kallisto!” Annabeth says. “‘Kallisto’ means beautiful in Greek. Just look at how beautiful this dog is.”  ****  
** **

Thalia, narrows her eyes. “Sounds like a little much for a dog.” Thalia says.  ****  
** **

Annabeth, narrows her eyes. “Hm…,” Annabeth murmurs. “Well then how about Tethys. Tethy’s, is the titan of fresh water springs. We did find the dog near water. The dog’s eyes are also blue, just like how water is viewed by so many.”  ****  
** **

Thalia, narrows her eyes. “Sounds a little weird.” Thalia says.  ****  
** **

Annabeth, sighs. “The only other name I can think of is Theia.” Annabeth says. “Theia, is the titaness of ‘clear sight’. Legends say that Theia, was often associated with anything shiny, such as jewels and light.”  ****  
** **

Annabeth, then gestures towards the dogs eyes. “Look at the dogs eyes.” Annabeth says. “They are so shiny, they practically sparkle.”  ****  
** **

Thalia and Luke, look at one another. “Well…,” Thalia says. “Theia, does have a nice ring to it.”  ****  
** **

“I agree.” Luke says. “I like Theia.”  ****  
** **

Annabeth, smiles. “If we all agree then it is settled.” Annabeth says as she looks at the dog. “Theia, it is.”  ****  
** **

Annabeth, pats the dogs head. “Theia.” Annabeth calls the dog. “Your name is Theia now.”  ****  
** **

The dog cocks her head curiously at the name. The dog even wags her tail.  ****  
** **

“Theia.” Annabeth says as she holds her hand out. “Here girl!”  ****  
** **

The dog responds to Annabeth’s open hand. It looks like the dog, has accepted her new name.  ****  
** **

Luke, smiles and looks ahead in the direction where him and his companions were headed. “Come on…,” Luke says. “Let’s go look for a home to call our own.”  ****  
** **

Thalia and Annabeth, nod. Annabeth, turns to Theia.  ****  
** **

“Come Theia!” Annabeth says. “Come girl.”  ****  
** **

Theia, obeys immediately. Soon enough, Luke, Thalia, Annabeth and Theia, are headed into the forest. Headed into the unknown.  ****  
** **

*********************************** ****  
** **

The sun is beginning to set over the horizon. Kakashi, enters the village gates. Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto follow close behind.  ****  
** **

“Oh thank goodness we’re home.” Sakura says with a sigh. “That trip took _forever_ .”  ****  
** **

Kakashi, blinks a few times. “We might have made it back sooner had someone not stopped very hour in order to pee behind a tree.” Kakashi says as he looks teasingly at Naruto.  ****  
** **

Naruto, gets an offended look on his face. “Hey now!” Naruto says. “I really had to pee!”  ****  
** **

Kakashi, chuckles and holds his hands up. “Well, at least we are home.” Kakashi says. “However, before we can all head home to our respective houses, we must debrief Lord Hokage on how the mission went.”  ****  
** **

The eyes of all three genin widen instantly. Sakura, lets out a deep sigh.  ****  
** **

“I forgot about that.” Sakura says. “I guess that I will not be home in time for dinner after all.”  ****  
** **

Sasuke, closes his eyes. “Well, let’s just go and get it over with already.” Sasuke says.  ****  
** **

Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura begin following Kakashi towards the Hokage’s tower. As the group walks, Kakashi, thinks of how he will explain his strange discovery to Lord Hokage. What will the old man make of the strange food wrapper?  ****  
** **

Sasuke, walks close behind Kakashi. The boy thinks of his sharingan. When should he mention the awakening of his own sharingan to Kakashi?  ****  
** **

_Maybe I should tell Kakashi about my sharingan after we debrief the Hokage about the outcome of our mission._ Sasuke thinks to himself. _That would probably be the best time._   ****  
** **

Sasuke, closes his eyes. He thinks of his strange dream. Should he tell Kakashi about that as well? ****  
** **

After a few minutes, Sasuke opens his eyes. Kakashi, would probably not understand the dream either. Sasuke, decides that he should probably keep it to himself.  ****  
** **

************************************** ****  
** **

Thalia, Luke, and Annabeth all walk through the forest. Theia, walks obediently beside Annabeth.  ****  
** **

Thalia, looks at the horizon ahead. The sun is almost set. Daylight is fading quickly. However, the group has still not found a decent shelter.  ****  
** **

Thalia, looks back at her companions. Luke and Annabeth, both look as if they are exhausted. Even Theia the dog looks tired.  ****  
** **

Luke, stops walking and sighs. “It’s getting dark.” Luke says. “And we don’t have a place to sleep.”  ****  
** **

Thalia, sighs. “I know.” Thalia says. “I don’t want to spend the night out in a forest any more than you do. It is true that we don’t have to worry about monsters anymore, but there are dangers in this world. Being out in a forest at night is especially risky. Who knows what wild animals could be lurking in this forest?!”  ****  
** **

“I know…,” Luke says. “We may have weapons on us but I don’t want to spend the night fighting off hungry animals.”  ****  
** **

“We also won’t be able to see once it’s dark!” Annabeth says wide eyed.  ****  
** **

Luke, narrows his eyes. He grabs his backpack off of his back. Luke, opens his bag and begins searching through it. Luke, smiles and pulls out a flashlight.  ****  
** **

“I thought I had a flashlight in my bag.” Luke says. “Now we will be able to see.”  ****  
** **

“That still doesn’t solve our problem of having no shelter.” Thalia points out.  ****  
** **

“Having light means that we will be able to continue our search for shelter.” Luke says.  ****  
** **

Thalia, raises a brow. “That is a good point.” Thalia says.  ****  
** **

“Well then what are we waiting for?” Annabeth asks. “Let’s go!”  ****  
** **

Luke, turns on the flashlight. He holds it as the group walks forward. Theia, walks beside Annabeth. After ten minutes of walking, the light from Luke’s flashlight hits something. It is sawed boards. A cabin lies before them.  ****  
** **

Thalia, sighs. “Oh thank gods we found shelter.” Thalia says. “I got so tired of walking.”  ****  
** **

“Come on, let’s investigate.” Luke says. “I don’t see a stream nearby, so this place wouldn’t make a very good permanent home. However, it shall work for tonight.”  ****  
** **

Luke, slowly opens the door. The children peer inside. The cabin is completely empty. A sunken hearth, sits in the middle of the cabin. A small pile of wood, sits next to the hearth. The three children, enter the cabin. Theia, follows Annabeth.  ****  
** **

Luke, bends down and looks at the hearth. “Just hold on girls, we’ll have a nice warm fire in a few minutes.” Luke says.  ****  
** **

Luke, places the wood into the hearth. Luke, then grabs his box of matches out of his bag and lights a match. Luke, throws the match onto the wood in the hearth. Within minutes, The cabin is illuminated with a warm glow from the fire. The children, sit down, forming a circle around the hearth. Theia, lays between Annabeth and Thalia. Luke, opens up his bag and takes out a package of poptarts. Thalia and Annabeth, open their bags and take out packages of poptarts as well. Annabeth, looks down at Theia. Annabeth, looks at her now opened poptarts and sniffs them.  ****  
** **

“Well, poptarts probably aren’t the best thing to feed dogs, but at least they aren’t chocolate flavored.” Annabeth says.  ****  
** **

Annabeth, breaks one of her poptarts in half and carefully places one of the broken halves in front of Theia. Theia, gobbles down the half of the poptart in minutes. Thalia, soon breaks one of her poptarts in half and places one half in front of Theia. Theia, gobbles up the poptart half with equal gusto. Luke, breaks one of his poptarts in half. Luke, then places a broken half in front of Theia. Theia, woofs down the poptart. Theia, then lets out a yawn and lays her head down in Annabeth’s lap.  ****  
** **

Thalia, Luke and Annabeth, slowly munch on their poptarts. After they are done, they wash down all of the sugar they just ate with some water from their bottles of water. Then, the three demigods lay down on the floor. It is completely dark outside now. Time to go to sleep. Luke, quickly sees that there is a latch on the door. Luke, gets up and does the latch, locking the door. He turns to Thalia and Annabeth.  ****  
** **

“Let’s lock the door so that no one can walk in on us while we are sleeping.” Luke says.  ****  
** **

“Good idea, Luke.” Thalia says.  ****  
** **

Luke, walks back over to his intended sleeping spot and lays back down. He lets out a yawn.  ****  
** **

“Goodnight girls.” Luke says as he closes his eyes. “See ya in the morning.”  ****  
** **

“Goodnight Luke.” Thalia says. “Goodnight Annabeth.”  ****  
** **

Then, Thalia, looks at Theia, lying next to Annabeth. “Goodnight Theia…,” Thalia whispers as she closes her eyes.  ****  
** **

“Goodnight Luke…,” Annabeth says with a sleepy voice. She closes her eyes. “Goodnight Thalia. Goodnight Theia.”  ****  
** **

Theia and the three demigods sleep on the floor of the cabin. The fire, glows brightly, giving off warmth.  ****  
** **

********************************** ****  
** **

Kakashi, stands in the Hokage’s office. Many other jonin, stand close by.  ****  
** **

The third Hokage, sits at his desk. The old man, looks thoughtfully at the foil wrapper in his hand. After Team Seven debriefed the Hokage on their mission, Kakashi, told his students to go home. Kakashi, simply told the young genin that he wanted to speak privately with the Hokage. After the three genin left the room, Kakashi, brought out the strange foil wrapper and showed it to the Hokage. Kakashi, then told the story of how he had found it.  ****  
** **

The third Hokage, carefully examines the writing on the foil. Lord Third was so intrigued by Kakashi’s discovery that he decided to call in all of his top jonin to have a look and give their opinions.  ****  
** **

“Very strange indeed.” Lord Third says. “I have never seen writing like this before.”  ****  
** **

“Lord Hokage…,” Kurenai Yuhi begins. “What could this mean?”  ****  
** **

The Hokage, sighs. “I don’t know.” The old man says. “I wish I knew.”  ****  
** **

The Hokage, then looks at Kakashi. “You also said that you found a child sized shoe print along with this wrapper.” The Hokage says. “You said that the tread looked very strange.”  ****  
** **

Kakashi, nods. “Yes milord.” Kakashi says. “I found the shoe print right outside of the cave where the wrapper was left.”  ****  
** **

Lord Third, looks at the wrapper and sighs. “Without more clues…,” Lord Third begins. “We cannot determine the origins of this ‘food wrapper’. However, I want all of you to keep your eyes out for any more. If any of you find more of these strange ‘food wrappers’, you are to bring them to me immediately. Understood?”  ****  
** **

“Yes, Lord Hokage!” All of the jonin in the room say.  ****  
** **

“Good.” Lord Third says. “All of you are now dismissed.”  ****  
** **

All of the jonin, leave the room. The Hokage, looks back down at the wrapper. He sighs.  **  
**

_A strong residual aura…,_ Lord Third thinks to himself. _A child sized shoe impression. A food wrapper with strange writing on it. What could this mean?_ **  
**


	9. Uchiha dreams II

Storm clouds gather in the night sky. Low thunder breaks the silence in the air.  ****  
** **

Itachi and Kisame, lay asleep around a campfire, unaware of the approaching storm. Kisame, snores and shifts in his sleep.  ****  
** **

Across the other side of the campfire, Itachi, lays on his back. Itachi’s eyes are closed. He breathes softly. All of the sudden, Itachi’s face scrunches up and he starts shifting in his sleep.  ****  
** **

...Itachi’s dreamscape… ****  
** **

_ The sun sets over the horizon. The last stretches of light, light up the village below.  _ ****  
** **

_ Itachi, stands in the middle of a meadow. Itachi, looks around and then at his hands. He realizes that this is another dream.  _ ****  
** **

_ Then, Itachi looks aheads of him. A few feet ahead of him, a younger version of himself, lays with Sakiko.  _ ****  
** **

_ Itachi, watches as his younger self, smiles at Sakiko. Sakiko, smiles back. Then, the two share a passionate kiss. The two teens appear not to notice the older Itachi.  _ ****  
** **

_ “Sakiko.” The teenage Itachi says.  _ ****  
** **

_ “Itachi…,” Sakiko says as her cheeks turn red.  _ ****  
** **

_ The teenage Itachi, removes his cloak and clothing. Sakiko, removes her dress. The two teens now lay naked in the meadow together.  _ ****  
** **

_ “Sakiko…,” Itachi says as he wraps his arms around Sakiko’s waist.  _ ****  
** **

_ Sakiko, gets a dreamy look in her eyes and wraps her own arms around Itachi. “Itachi…,” Sakiko says.  _ ****  
** **

_ The two teens share another passionate kiss. The older Itachi, blinks as he watches his younger self’s antics. This dream is so vivid. It is like Itachi, is reliving that day.  _ ****  
** **

_ Then, the two teens dissolve right before Itachi’s eyes. The bright light scatters into little balls which turn into leaves. The leaves blow in the air and surround Itachi. Then, the leaves disappear, revealing the entrance into the Araya’s village. On the other side of the gate, Sakiko, sits on the ground.  _ ****  
** **

_ Sakiko’s eyes are red and puffy. Tears stain the girl’s cheeks. Sakiko, lets out a sob as she stares out past the gate. _ ****  
** **

_ Sakiko, sniffles as she stares ahead. She looks Itachi, right in the eyes. “Why...why Itachi…,” Sakiko seems to say accusingly to Itachi. “You...left without saying goodbye. I...I thought you liked me. You said that I was beautiful.”  _ ****  
** **

_ Itachi, blinks a few times. Is she talking to him? Can she actually see him?  _ ****  
** **

_ A man with short brown hair, ultramarine blue eyes, and fair skin, approaches Sakiko. The man puts a hand on Sakiko’s shoulder. A woman with brown hair, light blue eyes, and pink lips, walks past the pair. The woman, scoffs at the sight.  _ ****  
** **

_ “That is what the girl gets for falling for a rogue!” The woman says with a cruel voice.  _ ****  
** **

_ Sakiko, cries even harder at the woman’s words. The man, scowls at the woman’s retreating form.  _ ****  
** **

_ Sakiko, looks up and stares ahead at the gate. She looks Itachi right in the eyes. “Itachi…,” Sakiko says. “Why…why...why? I thought you liked me.”  _ ****  
** **

_ The image of Sakiko and the man suddenly dissolve into bright light. The bright light scatters into little balls, and forms leaves. The leaves dance and swirl around Itachi. When the leaves disappear, Itachi, now stands inside a house. Across from Itachi, Sakiko, sits in front of a toilet. Sakiko’s face goes pale, and she promptly vomits into the toilet bowl. After Sakiko, is done vomiting she turns and looks down at her stomach. Sakiko, puts her arms around her stomach. Then, Sakiko looks up and looks Itachi right in the eyes.  _ ****  
** **

_ “Itachi…,” Sakiko whispers. “Itachi...Itachi.”  _ ****  
** **

...end of dream… ****  
** **

Itachi, opens his eyes. He sits up and tries to process his dream. However, he is brought out of his thoughts with the sound of thunder. Itachi, looks up at the sky. Soon, little plops of water start falling from the sky. A raindrop, lands on Kisame’s face. Kisame’s eyes flicker open immediately.  ****  
** **

Within minutes, the heavens open up. Rain begins pouring down. Kisame, grimaces.  ****  
** **

“Oh great.” Kisame says as he sits up. “It’s raining.”  ****  
** **

Itachi, simply blinks, not caring that he is getting soaked. Kisame, looks over to his partner.  ****  
** **

“I guess we better look for some shelter.” Kisame says with a huff.  ****  
** **

Itachi, does not respond. The young man sits there, thinking about his unusual dream. Kisame, narrows his eyes.  ****  
** **

“Itachi?” Kisame asks. “We are getting soaked and you’re just sitting there! What is wrong with you?”  ****  
** **

Itachi, shakes his head, snapping himself out of his thoughts. He turns towards his partner.  ****  
** **

“I am fine…,” Itachi says. He stands up. “Let’s go find some shelter.”  ****  
** **

Kisame, grumbles. “About time!” Kisame says as he stands up. The rouge mist nin grabs his sword.  ****  
** **

The two Akatsuki members, start walking, trying to find any sort of shelter. While he walks, Itachi, thinks of his strange dream.  ****  
** **

_ This dream was even stranger than the last. _ Itachi, thinks to himself.  _ Why was I dreaming of Sakiko crying over me leaving the village? And...why did I dream of her getting sick? What does this mean? _ ****  
** **

************************************* ****  
** **

Sasuke, lays in his bed. Outside his bedroom window, the early morning sky, is covered with grayish storm clouds.  ****  
** **

Sasuke, shifts under the covers. His face scrunches up a little.  ****  
** **

...Sasuke’s dreamscape… ****  
** **

_ The sun slowly rises over the horizon. Sasuke, stands in front of a gate, leading to a village he has never seen before. Sasuke, looks down at his hands and realizes that this is another dream.  _ ****  
** **

_ One the other side of the gate, the girl from his last dream, Sakiko, sits on the ground. Sakiko’s eyes are red and puffy. Tears stain the girl’s cheeks. Sakiko, lets out a sob as she stares out past the village gate. _ ****  
** **

_ Sakiko, sniffles. “Why...why Itachi…,” Sakiko says to herself as she stares out past the gate. “You...left without saying goodbye. I...I thought you liked me. You said that I was beautiful.”  _ ****  
** **

_ Sasuke, narrows his eyes at the sight. Itachi, must have left Sakiko’s village. Is this girl really crying over his clan killing brother? Does she not know what the man did?  _

_ Then, the image of Sakiko and the village disappear into bright light. The bright light then turns into shadows which surround Sasuke. Sasuke’s eyes are wide as the shadows swirl around him. After the shadows stop swirling a new image forms before Sasuke’s eyes. Sasuke, now stands in a room, surrounded by people. Sakiko, sits on a bed. Her eyes are puffy and red. Tears stain the girl’s cheeks.  _ ****  
** **

_ A man with short brown hair, ultramarine blue eyes, and fair skin, stands close to the bed. The man’s eyes are downcast. All of the other people who are in the room also have their eyes downcast.  _ ****  
** **

_ Sakiko, lets out a sob. “No…,” Sakiko whispers. She puts her arms around her stomach. “You have to be lying. It has to be a lie.”  _ ****  
** **

_ The man standing next to the bed, sighs. “I am so sorry Sakiko,” The man says. “I wish that it was a lie. Unfortunately it is not. Itachi Uchiha, murdered the entire Uchiha clan...his own clan. He is a kinslayer.”  _ ****  
** **

_ Sasuke, narrows his eyes. The village must have just found out what Itachi did. Now, the people in the room are breaking the news to Sakiko.  _ ****  
** **

_ Sakiko, lets out another sob. “He was so kind to me.” Sakiko mutters. “There is no way he could have done such a horrible thing.”  _ ****  
** **

_ Sasuke, narrows his eyes. Sakiko, is acting like she doesn’t want to accept the truth.  _ ****  
** **

_ “Sakiko…,” The brown haired man says. “I would never lie to you. I know that you really liked Itachi, but I am afraid he played with your feelings. I know that the truth is hard to accept. However—” _ ****  
** **

_ However, the man does not finish his sentence. Sakiko, lets out another loud sob and gets up from the bed. Sakiko, runs out of the room.  _ ****  
** **

_ “Sakiko!?” The brown haired man calls out. The man ties to run after Sakiko, but another man grabs his arm and shakes his head.  _ ****  
** **

_ Sasuke, watches as Sakiko, runs out of the house and down a dirt path. The village flies by Sasuke, as he watches Sakiko run. The images fly by Sasuke so fast he can’t make out what they are. Sasuke and the running Sakiko are literally in a tunnel, surrounded by smeared images. Sakiko, keeps on running. eventually a light appears at the end of the tunnel. A meadow appears in front of Sakiko. Sakiko stops running and collapses to the ground. Sasuke, looks around. It is the same meadow in which Sakiko and Itachi, were spending time together in Sasuke’s last dream.  _ ****  
** **

_ Sakiko, lies on the ground and stares up at the sky above her. Sakiko, sobs and puts her hands over her stomach.  _ ****  
** **

_ …end of dream… _ ****  
** **

Sasuke’s eyes flicker open. Thunder booms outside of his window. Sasuke, turns and sees rain pouring down from the sky. Lightning flashes in the sky.  ****  
** **

_ Well, _ Sasuke thinks to himself.  _ I guess I won’t be training today. _ ****  
** **

Sasuke, blinks a few times. He looks at his clock. It is 5:00 am. Sasuke, lies down and tries to go back to sleep. However, he can’t. Sasuke, just cannot get the dream out of his head.  ****  
** **

After a few more minutes, Sasuke, gets up from his bed. Maybe a drink of water will help him clear his head. Sasuke, walks over to the kitchen area of his apartment. The Hokage, moved Sasuke into this apartment after Itachi killed their clan. The Hokage had said he didn’t want a seven year old living alone in an empty compound on the far side of the village.  ****  
** **

Sasuke, grabs a water glass and turns on his sink. Sasuke, fills the water glass and takes a quick sip. Sasuke, blinks a few times. Nope...that didn’t help. Sasuke, sets down the water glass and walks back to his bed. Maybe he should just lie back down and hope that he can go back to sleep.  ****  
** **

************************************** ****  
** **

Rain pours down outside of Luke, Annabeth and Thalia’s cabin. The children are unaware of the storm outside.  ****  
** **

Luke, twitches slightly in his sleep. He then turns to his left side. Luke, lets out a yawn.  ****  
** **

Annabeth, lays beside Theia. Theia, twitches in her sleep. Just then, Theia, wakes up alert as ever. The dog gets up and rushes to the far left corner of the room.  ****  
** **

Thalia, lays flat on her back. Thalia’s face suddenly scrunches up. She begins moving around in her sleep.  ****  
** **

…Thalia’s dreamscape… ****  
** **

_ Thalia, opens her eyes to find herself in another room. It is another dream.  _ ****  
** **

_ In the room, people stand around. Sakiko, the girl from Thalia’s previous dreams, sits on a bed. Sakiko’s eyes are red and puffy. Tears stain the girl’s cheeks. A brown haired, ultramarine blue eyed man, stands next to the bed. The man’s eyes are downcast. Everyone else in the room also keep their eyes downcast. Sakiko, lets out a sob. _ ****  
** **

_ “No…,” Sakiko whispers. She puts her arms around her stomach. “You have to be lying. It has to be a lie.”  _ ****  
** **

_ The man standing next to the bed, sighs. “I am so sorry Sakiko,” The man says. “I wish that it was a lie. Unfortunately it is not. Itachi Uchiha, murdered the entire Uchiha clan...his own clan. He is a kinslayer.”  _ ****  
** **

_ Thalia’s eyes widen. The boy from her first two dreams, murdered his entire clan? That is just seriously messed up.  _ ****  
** **

_ Sakiko, lets out another sob. “He was so kind to me.” Sakiko mutters. “There is no way he could have done such a horrible thing.”  _ ****  
** **

_ Thalia, blinks a few times. Sakiko, must be in denial. The truth is just too hard to accept.  _ ****  
** **

_ “Sakiko…,” The brown haired man says. “I would never lie to you. I know that you really liked Itachi, but I am afraid he played with your feelings. I know that the truth is hard to accept. However—” _ ****  
** **

_ However, the man does not finish his sentence. Sakiko, lets out another loud sob and gets up from the bed. Sakiko, runs out of the room.  _ ****  
** **

_ “Sakiko!?” The brown haired man calls out. The man tries to run after Sakiko, but another man grabs his arm and shakes his head. _ ****  
** **

_ Thalia, without thinking, follows the retreating form of Sakiko, down the hallway. Then, Thalia, is swallowed by shadows. After the shadows dissipate, Thalia, finds herself in a meadow. It is the same meadow from Thalia’s first two dreams.  _ ****  
** **

_ Sakiko, sits in the meadow. She is sobbing her heart out. All of the sudden, Sakiko, stops sobbing as her face goes pale. Sakiko, promptly vomits all over the earth in front of her. Sakiko, takes a deep breath. She looks down at her stomach. Sakiko, blinks as she puts her hands on her stomach.  _ ****  
** **

_ …end of dream… _ ****  
** **

Thalia’s eyes flicker open as she feels her shoulder being shaken. Thalia, looks up to see Luke, Annabeth, and Theia crowded around her.  ** **  
****

“Thalia…,” Luke begins. His eyes are wide. “Is everything ok? You were moving around like crazy.”  ****  
** **

Thalia, narrows her eyes. “I was?” Thalia asks with surprise.  ****  
** **

“Yeah!” Luke says. “You were moving around like this.”  ****  
** **

Luke, then gets on the floor and begins mimicking the movements that Thalia, was making without knowing it. Thalia’s eyes are wide. She was really moving around like that?  ****  
** **

Thalia, sighs and rolls over. She is slightly embarrassed by the whole thing.  ****  
** **

“I am fine.” Thalia says. “I guess I was having trouble getting comfortable.”  ****  
** **

Luke and Annabeth, both narrows their eyes. The two of them can tell that something is bothering their friend. However, Thalia seems unwilling to reveal it to them. Why?  ****  
** **

Thalia, looks out the window and sees that it is raining. “It’s raining.” Thalia says. “I guess that we cannot leave until it stops raining.”  ****  
** **

Luke, makes a face. “Yeah, and it’s too bad that we can’t.” Luke says. Luke, then covers his nose.  ****  
** **

Thalia, is confused until she sniffs the air. She immediately gags and covers her own nose.  ****  
** **

“What in my father’s name is that horrible smell!” Thalia exclaims.  ****  
** **

Annabeth, has her nose covered. “Look in that far corner over there to the left.” Annabeth says. “You’ll see. I think those poptarts didn’t agree with Theia.”  ****  
** **

At her name being mentioned, said dog, whines and lays down. Theia, covers her snout with her paws and then closes her eyes. It’s as if Theia is ashamed of something.  ****  
** **

Thalia, looks over to the far left corner and immediately her eyes widen. In the far left corner, sits a big pile of liquidy and very smelly dog poop. The poptarts gave Theia diarrhea.  ****  
** **

Luke, gags. “Man…,” Luke says. “It smells  _ really _ bad!”  ****  
** **

Thalia, grimaces. “Yeah!” Thalia says. “And you wanna know what the worst part is? It’s raining outside so we can’t leave. We are  _ stuck _ in here with the smell.”  ****  
** **

Luke, gags some more. “I tried to open the windows but it didn’t help.” Luke says.  ****  
** **

Annabeth, then look at her bag. She gets an idea. Annabeth, opens her bag and rummages through it. Annabeth, then pulls out a small spray bottle with some pink liquid in it. Perfume? ****  
** **

“Annie?” Luke says questionly.  ****  
** **

“It’s perfume.” Annabeth says. “I stole it from my stepmom’s junk drawer when I ran away from home. She had received it as a gift from a co-worker. However, she ended up not caring for the smell so she put into her junk drawer. I thought that if I sprayed myself with this, it would help throw off the monsters. It didn’t work so I put it into the bottom of my bag and forgot about it. Maybe this will help cover up the smell.”  ****  
** **

Annabeth, gets up and sprays some of the perfume around the room. However, this only makes the smell worse. Thalia, finally gets up and heads for the door.  ****  
** **

“Maybe we should open up the door.” Thalia says.  ****  
** **

Thalia, undoes the latch and opens the door. Luke then gets an idea as well. Luke, heads over to the hearth and puts more wood in it. Luke, lights a match and throws the match into the hearth. Within minutes a roaring fire fills the room with warmth. The smell slowly starts to dissipate.  ****  
** **

Thalia, sighs as she goes to sit down by the fire. “Oh thank gods.” Thalia says. “I thought that I was going to throw up.”  ****  
** **

“I thought so to.” Luke says admittingly.  ****  
** **

Thalia, looks over towards the far left corner and sighs. “Well,” Thalia says. “I guess it’s a good thing we didn’t plan to stay here for the long term. I don’t see any cleaning supplies around here. I don’t know how we would even clean that up.”  ****  
** **

Annabeth, wrinkles her nose. “Yeah…,” Annabeth says. “That would have been a very hard and  _ disgusting _ job.”  ****  
** **

Thalia, groans and lays back down. She can’t get her dream out of her head. However, she still doesn’t want to talk about it to her friends. Thalia, immediately thinks of something to try and get her mind off of the strange dream.  ****  
** **

“So…,” Thalia says. “What should we do until it stops raining?”  ****  
** **

Annabeth, smiles. “I know!” Annabeth says. “We can tell stories.”  ****  
** **

Thalia and Luke, look at one another. They both shrug. Why not? It sounds like a good idea.  ****  
** **

Annabeth, looks at Thalia’s sword. “Thalia…,” Annabeth begins. “I have always wondered where you got that sword.”  ****  
** **

Thalia, blinks and looks down at her sword. “I have had this sword for a while.” Thalia admits. “I got soon after Luke and I met.”  ****  
** **

Luke, grins. “Yeah…,” Luke says. “She  _ stole _ it from a museum.”  ****  
** **

Annabeth’s eyes widen. “Really!?” Annabeth asks. “You stole that sword from a museum? How?”  ****  
** **

Thalia, grins as she remembers. Perhaps telling this story will even help Thalia, forget about her strange dream.  ****  
** **

“It is a very interesting story.” Thalia says. “Just sit back and I shall tell you.”  ****  
** **

Annabeth, leans forward, ready to hear whatever Thalia has to tell her.


	10. Apple thieves

Thalia, holds her sword as she tells her story. Annabeth, listens with wide eyes.  ****  
** **

“Then…,” Thalia says. “Luke and I ran into the archive room of the museum to escape the manticore. There were many old weapons inside.”  ****  
** **

Thalia, then smirks. “I happened to notice this sword lying on some boxes.” Thalia says. “I immediately realized that it was celestial bronze. How mortals got a hold of such a weapon, we may never know.”  ****  
** **

“Just then,” Luke says with a voice full of suspense. “The manticore burst into the room!” ****  
** **

Annabeth, gasps and holds her hands over her mouth.  ****  
** **

“The manticore had managed to break down the door.” Thalia says. “And so there we were, trapped inside the archive room with a vicious manticore.”  ****  
** **

“What did you and Luke do then?” Annabeth asks.  ****  
** **

“Luke got his golf club ready.” Thalia says. “Luke charged and tried to fight the manticore, but the manticore was just too fast. Then, I remembered the sword and picked it up. With Luke distracting the manticore, I decided to take an opportunity to defeat it. As soon as there was an opening, I charged with the sword in hand. I ended up stabbing the manticore in the chest.”  ****  
** **

Luke, smirks. “The manticore exploded into gold dust.” Luke says. ****  
** **

Thalia, looks down at the sword. “This sword became my weapon after that.” Thalia says. “It has served me well.”  ****  
** **

“How did you end up sneaking that sword past security?” Annabeth asks curiously.  ****  
** **

“The hallway that lead to the archive room had a door that opened up to the back of the building.” Thalia says. “Of course the door was locked. And so...Luke and I formulated a plan to escape without being seen.”  ****  
** **

“I stole the keys to all the doors in the facility.” Luke says with a smirk. “Then, Thalia and I waited until the museum closed down for the night. We came out of hiding.”  ****  
** **

“There were security cameras everywhere.” Thalia says. “The two of us made our way towards the security office. Using the keys that Luke stole, we tried everyone single one until we found the right key. We broke into the security office and shut off all of the security cameras.”  ****  
** **

“With the security cameras all shut off we made our way back towards the door next to the archive room.” Luke says. “Then, we tried every single key until we found the right keys for the door. Once the door was unlocked, we bolted straight for the forest behind the building.”  ****  
** **

“We traveled in a straight line.” Thalia says. “The two of us got as far away from the museum as possible. We both knew the theft would eventually be discovered and we didn’t want to be in the vicinity when the police were notified.”  ****  
** **

Annabeth’s eyes widen. “Wow!” Annabeth says. “And the two of you fought monsters together as a team. You with that sword, and Luke with his golf club.”  ****  
** **

Thalia, nods. “Yes.” Thalia says.  ****  
** **

Luke, then looks out the door. The rain has stopped. “The rain has finally stopped you guys.” Luke says. “I know it is going to be muddy, but we should probably move on now.”  ****  
** **

Thalia and Annabeth nod. “You’re right Luke.” Thalia says. “It’s time to find our forever home.”  ****  
** **

The three children, get up and start gathering their things. Theia, gets up and lets out a bark. The children then realize that the fire is still going strong. The children know that they should probably put out the fire. But how?  ****  
** **

Annabeth, then notices something outside the door. It is a bucket full of rainwater. How did they not notice that when they came in. Oh well. At least they have a way to put out the fire.  ****  
** **

Annabeth, hands the bucket to Luke. Luke, slowly pours the water over the fire. The fire sizzles and lets off steam. The fire is now out.  ****  
** **

“Alright, let’s go.” Thalia says.  ****  
** **

Luke, puts the bucket down by the hearth. Luke, then notices something by the hearth. Luke, picks it up. It is a cloth bag with drawstrings that open and close the top. It reminds Luke, of the nylon sack bags that he used to see people carrying, back in the children’s birth world. Annabeth and Thalia, approach.  ****  
** **

“What did you find Luke?” Thalia asks.  ****  
** **

Luke, holds up his find. “It’s a bag.” Luke says. “Whoever used to live here must have left it.”  ****  
** **

Annabeth, then points to where Luke found the sack. “There’s more!” Annabeth says. “Look!”  ****  
** **

Luke, follows Annabeth’s eyes and sees two more bags lying by the hearth. Luke, picks up the two bags and grins.  ****  
** **

“Look girls…,” Luke says. “There’s a sack for each of us! Sweet.”  ****  
** **

Luke hands a bag to Thalia. Luke, then hands one to Annabeth. Luke, puts the third into his backpack. Thalia and Annabeth, also put their sacks into their backpacks.  ****  
** **

“Never know when an extra bag will come in handy.” Luke says.  ****  
** **

Luke, looks back at the door and starts walking towards it. Thalia, Annabeth and Theia, follow Luke out the door.  ****  
** **

*********************************** ****  
** **

Sasuke, moves slightly in his sleep. His face scrunches up as he tosses and turns.  ****  
** **

...Sasuke’s dreamscape… ****  
** **

_ Sasuke, stands within a grove of apple trees. The leaves of the apple trees sway slightly in the breeze. The sun is high and bright in the blue sky.  _ ****  
** **

_ Women, walk around and talk as they pick the apples. Just then, Sakiko, enters the grove, sporting a small but clearly visible bump on her abdomen. All of the women, turn and scowl at Sakiko. One women lets out a loud huff.  _ ****  
** **

_ “Well if it isn’t the little whore…,” The woman says with a mean voice. “Why don’t you just leave this village. No one wants you here.”  _ ****  
** **

_ Sakiko’s eyes are downcast as she quickly fills the basket that she is carrying with bright red apples. Sakiko, does not make eye contact with any of the women.  _ ****  
** **

_ “The girl is a whore, just like her grandmother.” Another woman says. “And worse yet...she is carrying a kinslayer’s abomination within her.”  _ ****  
** **

_ Another woman, approaches Sakiko, and gets between Sakiko and the apple tree. Sakiko, backs away. The woman, scowls.  _ ****  
** **

_ “Go away!” The woman says. “Just take your kinslayer’s spawn and leave. No one wants you here.”  _ ****  
** **

_ Sakiko, tears up and slowly walks away, taking the few apples that she managed to pick, with her. However, the women continue to throw insults as the girl.  _ ****  
** **

_ “You and your demon spawn deserve to die!” A woman yells.  _ ****  
** **

_ “I hope the little abomination is stillborn!” Another woman yells. “And if not...I hope that Toma, kills the little abomination!”  _ ****  
** **

_ “You should just crawl into a hole and die!” A third woman yells.  _ ****  
** **

_ “Whore...whore...whore…,” All of the woman chant together. “Whore...whore.” _ ****  
** **

...end of dream… ****  
** **

Sasuke, sits up straight. His eyes are wide as he tries to process his dream.  ****  
** **

_ Kinslayer spawn…? _ Sasuke thinks to himself.  _ Does that mean— _ ****  
** **

However, Sasuke, does not finish his thought. The sound of loud knocking comes from the door. A loud and obnoxious sounding voice can be heard from the other side of the door. It is Naruto.  ****  
** **

“Yo, Sasuke!” Naruto’s voice yells. “Are you up? Kakashi Sensei wants to see us!”  ****  
** **

Then, Sakura’s voice can be heard. “Idiot!” Sakura says. “Do you always have to talk so loud?!”  ****  
** **

Sasuke, grimaces.  _ Oh great…, _ Sasuke thinks to himself.  _ I barely slept at all. Now, Kakashi wants to see us. Just terrific _ .  ****  
** **

Just then, loud baby crying can be heard from across the hall. One of Sasuke’s neighbors has an infant. Naruto’s yelling must have woken the little tyke.  ****  
** **

“Naruto!” Sakura says. “You woke up a baby! You should be ashamed of yourself.”  ****  
** **

“Oh come on Sakura…,” Naruto says. “If Sasuke would just come to the door, then I wouldn’t have to yell.”  ****  
** **

Naruto, then starts banging on the door. “Sasuke!” Naruto yells.  ****  
** **

Sasuke, groans and gets up off the bed. Sasuke, figures that he better answer the door before Naruto, breaks it down. Sasuke, opens the door. Naruto and Sakura, are standing on the other side. Naruto, grins.  ****  
** **

“You’re up!” Naruto says.  ****  
** **

Sakura, gets a concerned look on her face when she notices Sasuke’s sleepy eyes.  ****  
** **

“Are you ok Sasuke?” Sakura asks. “You look a little tired.”  ****  
** **

Sasuke, quickly shakes the sleepiness from his eyes. “I’m ok.” Sasuke says. “I just didn’t sleep well. Let me go get dressed and we’ll go see what Kakashi wants.”  ****  
** **

Sasuke, closes the door and goes into the bathroom to change out of his night clothes. Sasuke, looks at his reflection in the mirror. He thinks back to his dream.  ****  
** **

_ Kinslayer spawn? _ Sasuke thinks.  _ Does that mean...the baby within Sakiko...was Itachi’s? _ ****  
** **

**************************************** ****  
** **

Thalia, crosses her arms as she looks up at the apple tree above her. Luke, stands beside her. Annabeth, stands to the left of Luke. Theia, sits by Annabeth’s feet. The group found a grove of apple trees around ten minutes ago. Luke, Thalia, and Annabeth all agreed that apples did sound good. Theia, may even be able to tolerate an apple. However, the group faces a problem. How do they get the apples down from one of the trees? ****  
** **

“Well…,” Thalia begins. “How should we get apples down from this tree?”  ****  
** **

Luke, crosses his own arms and circles the tree. “Beats me.” Luke says. “I am used to just stealing apples that are already picked.”  ****  
** **

Annabeth, looks at the ground. “Well,” Annabeth says. “We need to shake the apples down from the tree. We could do that with a long stick.”  ****  
** **

Luke, narrows his eyes as he gets an idea. Luke, takes a long piece of thin white rope, and makes a lasso. Luke, swings the lasso over a branch and tightens it. Luke, then looks at Thalia and Annabeth.  ****  
** **

“I will shake the branch with this rope.” Luke explains. “When the apples fall, you girls just pick them up. The ground is soft so the apples shouldn’t get bruised too badly.”  ****  
** **

Thalia and Annabeth, look at one another and just shrug. Luke’s idea sounds like it could work.  ****  
** **

Luke, pulls on the rope, shaking the tree branch. After a few good shakes, two apples fall to the ground.  ****  
** **

“It worked!” Annabeth says as she picks the apples up.  ****  
** **

Annabeth, hands an apple to Thalia. As the two girls start digging into their apples, Luke, shakes the branch again. Two more apples fall to the ground. Luke, grins and picks one up. Theia, sniffs the last apple. Theia, then grabs the apple with her sharp canines and starts gnawing on it.  ****  
** **

Annabeth, gasps and shows Luke and Thalia her apple. The flesh is pink. ****  
** **

“Look, Luke!” Annabeth says. “Look Thalia! This apple is pink on the inside!”  ****  
** **

Thalia, looks at hers. “So is mine.” Thalia says.  ****  
** **

Luke, shrugs. “It must be a special variety or something.” Luke says. He then takes a bite of his apple. Luke’s eyes immediately widen.  ****  
** **

“This apple is so good.” Luke says.  ****  
** **

Annabeth, smiles widely as she swallows her last bite of apple. “That apple was so delicious!” Annabeth says.  ****  
** **

Thalia, bites down on her apple. All that is left of Thalia’s apple is the core. Thalia, throws the core to the ground. Thalia, swallows the bite of apple.  ****  
** **

“I agree.” Thalia says. “Best apple I have ever eaten.”  ****  
** **

Luke, grins as he swallows the last bite of his apple. “You girls are right.” Luke says. “These apples are very delicious.”  ****  
** **

Luke, throws his apple core to the ground. Luke, grabs the rope.  ****  
** **

“Anyone want another apple?” Luke asks.  ****  
** **

Annabeth, smiles. “Oh yes!” Annabeth says. “More apples please!”  ****  
** **

Thalia, just gives a nod. Luke, shakes the branch. Five apples fall to the ground.  ****  
** **

The children each pick up and apple and start chowing down. As Luke, Thalia, Annabeth, and Theia munch on their apples, they are unaware that they are being watched.  ****  
** **

********************************* ****  
** **

Itachi, blinks as he watches the three strange children and their dog, eat apples. The three children and the dog eat apple after apple. Itachi, narrows his eyes.  ****  
** **

_ Those children must be very hungry…, _ Itachi thinks to himself.  ****  
** **

Itachi, then narrows his eyes when he thinks back to the children’s earlier conversation. The little girl said two names. Thalia and Luke. Itachi, has never heard of such names before.  ****  
** **

_ Thalia and Luke…, _ Itachi ponders to himself.  _ Very strange names indeed. _ ****  
** **

The three children finish off the apples that they were just munching on. The children, throw the cores to the ground. The ground around them is littered with apple cores.  ****  
** **

“More!” The little blonde haired and grey eyed girl yells. “More Luke!”  ****  
** **

“I could eat another apple as well.” The spiky black haired and electric blue eyed girl says.   ****  
** **

The boy, grins. The boy looks to be no older than fourteen. The boy has sandy blond hair and cerulean blue eyes.  ****  
** **

“Alright Annabeth…,” The boy says. “More apples coming up!”.  ****  
** **

The dog lets out a bark. The little girl looks at the boy.  ****  
** **

“I think that Theia wants another apple as well.” The little girl says.  ****  
** **

The boy, shakes the branch again. More apples fall to the ground. The children, pick up the apples and start chowing down. Itachi, narrows his eyes even more. He is starting to put the pieces together.  ****  
** **

The boy must be Luke, Itachi thinks to himself. The girl with the black hair must be Thalia. The little girl must be Annabeth. The dog, must be Theia. Annabeth and Theia, are also very strange names.  ****  
** **

The three children scarf down their apples very quickly. Annabeth, looks at Luke.  ****  
** **

“More Luke!” Annabeth says. “More!”  ****  
** **

“More please!” Thalia says.  ****  
** **

Itachi, narrows his eyes.  _ Are those children planning to eat themselves sick? _ Itachi wonders to himself.  ****  
** **

Luke, smiles. “Hey girls, I just thought of something.” Luke says. “We have bags. Let’s take apples for the road.”  ****  
** **

Annabeth smiles widely. “Oh yes!” Annabeth says. “Apples for the road!”  ****  
** **

Thalia, grins. “That’s a great idea, Luke.” Thalia says.  ****  
** **

Luke, Thalia, and Annabeth, all take their bags off of their backs and open them. Then, the three children take out cloth sacks with drawstrings. Luke, shakes the branch again. More apples fall to the ground. As fast as the apples fall, Thalia and Annabeth pack their bags with the apples. After the branch that the boy has been shaken is completely devoid of apples, Luke takes off the lasso and moves onto another branch.  ****  
** **

Itachi’s eyes widen. Are those children planning to raid the entire tree? ****  
** **

Itachi, blinks a few times as he continues to watch the children gather apples. Itachi and Kisame, ate the last of their food supplies this morning. Kisame, is out hunting. Itachi, remembered coming across this apple grove many times so he came here to gather apples. The fact that there are other apple trees is why Itachi, hasn’t said anything to these children. It’s not like the children can raid the entire grove.  ****  
** **

Itachi, then remembers something. This grove is actually an orchard, which belongs to a nearby village. If the villagers come and find the children raiding their apple orchard, there is going to be trouble for sure.  ****  
** **

After a few more minutes, the children have filled their bags as full as they can. The children all smile as they each hold their drawstring bags with one arm. The three children each hold an apple in their remaining hands. The children, start walking down a path. Theia, the dog, follows Annabeth. Once the children are out of sight, Itachi, emerges from the forest. The missing nin carefully approaches the tree. All of the bottom branches have been stripped completely of apples.  ****  
** **

_ Those children were very greedy indeed…, _ Itachi thinks to himself.  ****  
** **

Itachi, grabs a cloth sack from within his cloak. Itachi, himself cannot take as many apples as those children did. However, Itachi, must gather enough to last him and Kisame a few days.  ****  
** **

Itachi, jumps onto a high branch and carefully plucks apples from the stems. Itachi, carefully places the apples into the sack. Six should do it. Three for him, and three for Kisame.  ****  
** **

Once Itachi is done gathering apples for himself and Kisame, he jumps down to the ground. Itachi, then walks carefully back into the forest, leaving the apple orchard behind. As he walks, Itachi, thinks about the strangeness of the three children. The three children were also giving off powerful auras. Itachi, also can’t get the image of Thalia, out of his head.   ****  
** **

_ That girl, _ Itachi thinks.  _ Thalia. Her hair reminded me of Sasuke’s a little bit. And those freckles, where have I seen those freckles before. And those lips were also familiar. _ ****  
** **

Itachi’s eyes suddenly widen. He now remembers. Sakiko.  ****  
** **

_ Sakiko…, _ Itachi thinks to himself.   ****  
** **

************************************ ****  
** **

Naruto, huffs loudly as he walks behind his sensei and teammates. Kakashi, leads at the very front of the line. Sasuke, walks behind Kakashi. Sasuke, looks equally unamused. Sakura, keeps a stoic face.  ****  
** **

“Picking apples!” Naruto says with a grumpy voice. “Seriously?! A two year old could do that! Why us of all people?!”  ****  
** **

Kakashi, turns and looks at Naruto. “These are no ordinary apples.” Kakashi says. “The village we are headed to grows unique apples.”  ****  
** **

Sakura, narrows her eyes. “What’s so special about these apples?” Sakura asks.  ****  
** **

Kakashi, grabs a couple of photos from his pocket. “The apples grow only in the area surrounding the village.” Kakashi says.  ****  
** **

Kakashi, stops walking and holds up one of the pictures for the three genin to see. The picture is of a roundish apple with bright red skin.  ****  
** **

“This is what the apples look like on the outside.” Kakashi says.  ****  
** **

Then, Kakashi holds up a picture of an apple cut in half. The flesh of the apple is bright pink.  ****  
** **

“And this is what the apples look like when they are cut in half.” Kakashi says. “This particular variety has pink flesh. The apples also have a very unique taste.”  ****  
** **

Kakashi, holds a finger to his chin as he thinks. “Let’s see…,” Kakashi says. “The apples are supposed to be very sweet. The flesh is also very juicy, yet firm. People say it is like biting into a piece of watermelon. The flesh also has a unique scent. Think of mixing apple juice, a little rose water, and a little lemon juice all together.”  ****  
** **

Kakashi, blinks a few times. “The trees are also big and high yielding.” Kakashi says. “If the conditions are just right, each tree can produce around a hundred apples per season.”  ****  
** **

The eyes of the three genin widen. “That’s a lot of apples.” Sakura says. “Just how many trees are there?”  ****  
** **

Kakashi, rubs his chin. “Well…,” Kakashi says. “I don’t exactly know. The thing is...all of the trees are divided into five separate orchards. The villagers always gather together when the apples are ripe and begin the process of picking the apples together. However, this year, many villagers have come down with a mysterious illness. The job of collecting apples from the last two orchards is too big of a job for the remaining villagers to handle. That is where we come in. Our mission is to help the non sick villagers finish harvesting this season’s apples.”  ****  
** **

Sasuke, narrows his eyes. “What exactly are the villagers going to do with so many apples?” Sasuke asks.  ****  
** **

“The villagers sell much of the apples.” Kakashi says. “It is how they make a living. Since the apples are so unique, they fetch a higher price than other varieties of apples. The villagers also make wine with the apples, which has a unique taste. The wine also fetches a high price on the market.”  ****  
** **

Naruto, huffs. “It’s still a boring mission.” Naruto says.  ****  
** **

Kakashi, sighs. “I knew that you would say that.” Kakashi says. “Well, anyway we should get going. The village leader is expecting us.”  ****  
** **

Kakashi, starts walking again. Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto follow obediently.  ****  
** **

*************************************** ****  
** **

Thalia, Luke, and Annabeth walk down the road. Theia, walks obediently beside Annabeth. The three children, carry their full bags of apples in their arms.  ****  
** **

Thalia, looks at her companions. “Alright…,” Thalia says. “We have apples to last us days, maybe even weeks. Now…, if only we could find a place to call home.”  ****  
** **

Luke, sighs. “I know.” Luke says. “These apples are actually heavier than I thought. I don’t think we can carry these apples forever.”  ****  
** **

Annabeth, narrows her eyes as she looks to the left. Suddenly, she gasps. Annabeth, sets down her bag of apples and points to the left.  ****  
** **

“Look over there!” Annabeth says.  ****  
** **

Thalia and Luke, look to the left. They gasp and almost drop their bags of apples. To the left, is a rundown looking gate. On the other side of the gate, is a rundown looking town. The town is eerily silent and devoid of life.  ****  
** **

Thalia, Luke and Annabeth all look at one another. They nod and slowly enter the town. Theia, follows Annabeth.  ****  
** **

Thalia, knocks on the door of a building. “Hello?” Thalia calls out. “Anyone here?”  ****  
** **

Thalia, receives no answer. She looks at Luke.  ****  
** **

“This place is a ghost town.” Thalia says. “There’s no one here.”  ****  
** **

Luke, looks around. “Yeah…,” Luke says. “This place looks totally abandoned.”  ****  
** **

Luke, then looks up at the roof of one of the buildings. He quickly notices something. It looks like a rooftop mini wind turbine. The blades of the wind turbine turn slowly in the wind. Solar panels also sit atop the roof. Luke, turns to Thalia and Annabeth.  ****  
** **

“I think the former residents generated their own electricity and power.” Luke says. “I see wind turbines and solar panels.”  ****  
** **

Annabeth, looks up at the roofs of all the buildings. “You are right Luke.” Annabeth says. “This place must have been a great place to live.”  ****  
** **

Thalia, looks around. “The residents obviously wanted to live here for the long run.” Thalia says. “Why would they abandon such a place?”  ****  
** **

Luke, shrugs his shoulders. “Beats me.” Luke says. “But you know what? I just thought of a great idea. This place could be our new home.”  ****  
** **

Thalia and Annabeth, look at one another. Luke is right. This place looks like it would be a good option.  ****  
** **

Luke, then enters a building. Thalia and Annabeth follow him. Luke, stares at a light switch.  ****  
** **

“I wonder…,” Luke says to himself as he scratches his chin. “Since this place runs on solar and wind energy...could these lights possibly work?”  ****  
** **

Luke, flips the switch. The light above the group lights up with a warm glow.  ****  
** **

Thalia and Annabeth both gasp. Thalia, then smiles.  ****  
** **

“We have electricity!” Thalia says. “Sweet.”  ****  
** **

Luke, smiles as he looks at Thalia and Annabeth. Luke, sets his bag of apples down on the floor.  ****  
** **

“Let’s check this place out...shall we?” Luke asks. “Let’s see what else this place has to offer.”  ****  
** **

Thalia and Annabeth both nod. They set their bags down on the floor as well. Thalia and Annabeth, begin following Luke down a hallway. Theia, follows right on Annabeth’s heels.  ****  
** **

************************************ ****  
** **

Kakashi, stops in front of the gate leading to a village. Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto stop as well.  ****  
** **

“Here we are.” Kakashi says with a cheerful voice.  ****  
** **

Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto look at the village in front of them with uncaring looks. Naruto, lets out another huff.  ****  
** **

“I still don’t like the idea of this mission.” Naruto says with a grumble.  ****  
** **

Kakashi, looks around with a confused look. “I was expecting the village leader to greet us.” Kakashi says.  ****  
** **

All of the sudden, a loud yell is heard. Everyone turns to see a man with glasses, graying black hair, light tan skin, and brown eyes, running around in circles.  ****  
** **

“We have been robbed!” The man says as he runs. “We have been robbed!”  ****  
** **

Kakashi, cocks his head. Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto all sweat drop.  ****  
** **

“Hm…,” Kakashi says. “I wonder if he could take us to the village leader.”  ****  
** **

The man opens his eyes and sees the four Konoha shinobi standing outside the gate. The man stops running and regains his composure. The man, approaches the ninja squad.  ****  
** **

“Are you the shinobi that I requested from the Hidden Leaf?” The man asks.  ****  
** **

“I take it then that you are the village leader, Hajimu Ikeda?” Kakashi asks.  ****  
** **

“Yes…,” The man says. “That would be me.”  ****  
** **

Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto all sweat drop again. The three genin all think, ‘really, this guy is the village leader’?  ****  
** **

“I am Kakashi Hatake…,” Kakashi says, introducing himself to Hajimu. “These are my students. Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, and Naruto Uzumaki. Now, please tell us why you are upset. We are here to help you after all.”  ****  
** **

The man, Hajimu, holds his head in his hands. “Someone has stolen apples from one of my village’s orchards!” Hajimu says with a mix of sadness and anger.  ****  
** **

Kakashi’s uncovered eye widens. Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto just exchange looks.  ****  
** **

“Explain.” Kakashi says.  ****  
** **

Hajimu, takes a deep breath. “Yesterday…,” Hajimu begins. “I checked on the orchard in question. All of the trees were full of apples. Every branch...every tree, had apples on them. I just checked the orchard a little while ago. I noticed that something was wrong with one of the trees. The lowest branches of the tree were completely devoid of apples! Not a single apple on those branches. The ground under the tree was also littered with apple cores. It’s like someone came, ate a bunch of apples, and then stole some more from the tree and carried them off.”  ****  
** **

Kakashi, rubs his chin thoughtfully. “Did you see any clues as to who may have stolen the apples?” Kakashi asks.  ****  
** **

Hajimu, blinks a few times. “Yes…,” Hajimu says. “I discovered strange sets of shoe prints leading to and from the tree.”  ****  
** **

Kakashi, blinks a few times.  _ Strange shoe prints? _ Kakashi thinks to himself.  ****  
** **

Kakashi, narrows his visible eye. “Take us to the orchard in question and show me the strange shoe prints.”  ****  
** **

Hajimu, merely nods. “Of course.” Hajimu says as he gestures towards the left. “Come with me.”  ****  
** **

Hajimu, starts walking. Kakashi, Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto follow Hajimu.  **  
**


	11. Evaluating the situation

Thalia, looks at the buildings around her. Every single one that she has checked, is completely devoid of life. Luke, walks up to Thalia. Thalia, slowly turns to look at Luke.  ****  
** **

“Well…,” Luke says. “I don’t see anyone.”  ****  
** **

“I don’t either.” Thalia says. “I guess we really do have the place to ourselves.”  ****  
** **

Thalia, Luke, and Annabeth have been exploring the abandoned town for a while. Annabeth, is exploring a few houses nearby with Theia.  ****  
** **

Suddenly, Annabeth, runs up to Thalia and Luke. Annabeth, has a huge smile on her face. Theia, runs right beside Annabeth. Annabeth, holds up her hands and shows Thalia and Luke, the object she is holding. In Annabeth’s hands is a sweet looking brown teddy bear with a strip of red cloth tied around its neck like a bow.  ****  
** **

Luke’s eyes widen. “That is really cute.” Luke says. “Where did you find it Annie?”  ****  
** **

Annabeth, points to a house behind her. “It was in one of those houses.” Annabeth says. “There were a lot of other toys, but this one was my favorite.”  ****  
** **

Annabeth, looks around at all of the buildings. “This place is great.” Annabeth says. “I have found so many interesting things. I have found buildings that look like they were shops, stores and restaurants.”  ****  
** **

Thalia, looks at Luke. “This place obviously had a thriving economy.” Thalia says. “I wonder why it was abandoned.”  ****  
** **

Luke, shrugs his shoulders. “Beat’s me.” Luke says. “We may never know the answer to that question. However, we must decide on how we want to proceed. First things first. we need to decide which building will be our forever home.”  ****  
** **

Thalia, looks down. “That’s right.” Thalia says. “How in my father’s name will we decide?”  ****  
** **

Annabeth, looks behind her. “I saw a building that looked like it could have been a motel.” Annabeth says. “It’s really big. Why don’t we stay in there?”  ****  
** **

Thalia and Luke, look at one another. They both shrug their shoulders. It probably won’t hurt to look inside the ‘motel’. Thalia and Luke, both nod at Annabeth, who begins leading her friends towards the ‘motel’. Theia, follows at Annabeth’s heels.  ****  
** **

************************************* ****  
** **

Kakashi, stares at the tree in front of him. The lowest branches on the tree are devoid of apples. Apple cores and strange shoe prints surround the base of the tree. Naruto, comes up and narrows his eyes as he looks at the strange looking shoe prints.  ****  
** **

“Mr. Hajimu is right.” Naruto says with his arms crossed. “Those are some really weird looking shoe prints.”  ****  
** **

Sakura, walks up to look at the shoe prints. “They do look very strange.” Sakura agrees.  ****  
** **

Sasuke, just stands off to the side. So the shoe prints look very strange. So what? There has to be a logical explanation for the strange shoe prints. Perhaps these shoes prints were made by wealthy civilians who can afford the latest style of shoes.  ****  
** **

Kakashi, narrows his eyes. There are three sets of strange shoe prints. One set of the shoe prints look exactly like the single shoe impression that Kakashi discovered yesterday.  ****  
** **

Kakashi, looks in the direction that the shoe impressions lead. All three sets of shoe impressions lead into the forest. Kakashi, turns to his students and Hajimu.  ****  
** **

“All of the shoe impressions lead into the forest.” Kakashi says. “If we want to catch the perpetrators, we must follow the shoe prints into the forest.”  ****  
** **

“So what are you waiting for!?” Hajimu says. Hajimu’s eyes are full of rage. “Find the dirty little apple thieves and get my apples back!”  ****  
** **

Suddenly, a woman with brown hair and blue eyes walks up to Hajimu. More villagers stand off to the side. Word must have gotten around quick about the theft.  ****  
** **

“Hajimu, please...you must think about this for a minute.” The strange woman says with a calm voice. “We hired the leaf shinobi to help us pick the apples, not chase after apple thieves.”  ****  
** **

“Reika, my dear…,” Hajimu says with a raised eyebrow. “What do you mean by that?”  ****  
** **

Kakashi and the rest of team seven exchange glances. The woman, Reika, must be Hajimu’s wife. Why else would Hajimu refer to Reika as ‘dear’?  ****  
** **

“Hajimu, darling…,” Reika says as she puts a hand on Hajimu’s shoulder. “You must consider this. The Leaf nins time is better put towards picking the apples. It is what we hired them to do. We didn’t hire them to chase after thieves.”  ****  
** **

Hajimu, blinks a few times. “But what about our stolen apples?!” Hajimu asks. “I want the thieves to pay!”  ****  
** **

“Darling, relax.” Reika says. “This incident is unfortunate...but it is not the end of the world. All of our orchards have produced extremely well this year. A few empty branches is not a big deal. Besides...if these leaf shinobi chase after the thieves, who knows how long it will take them to even find the thieves. Our resources and the leaf shinobi’s time is better put towards harvesting the apples.”  ****  
** **

Hajimu, blinks a few times. Then, he lets out a sigh. “I suppose you are right.” Hajimu says. “But...what if the thieves return?”  ****  
** **

Kakashi, steps forward. “I have a solution.” Kakashi says. “I expect this mission to take a couple of days at the very least. Until all of the apples are harvested, the trees will need to be guarded. Here is my plan.”  ****  
** **

Kakashi, gestures towards his students. “Every night, after the harvesting is done…,” Kakashi begins. “Myself and my students plus some villagers shall take shifts and guard the orchards until all of the apples are harvested. Two hour shifts shall suffice.”  ****  
** **

Hajimu’s eyes widen. “You would do that?” Hajimu asks.  ****  
** **

“Of course.” Kakashi says. “Our job is to gather the apples. However, we would not be doing a good job if we let thieves steal the apples.”  ****  
** **

Naruto, huffs. “Picking _and_ guarding apple trees.” Naruto says. “That’s still not interesting.”  ****  
** **

Sakura, then looks at the ground again and notices something odd. Sakura, gets Kakashi’s attention. “Look!” Sakura says. “There are more shoe prints, Kakashi Sensei. These shoe prints actually look as if they were made by shinobi sandals.”  ****  
** **

Kakashi, blinks a few times and looks closer at the new set of shoe prints. “Sakura is right.” Kakashi says. He looks at his students. “I need each of you to hold one of your feet next to the shoe prints. We need to make sure that these were not made by one of us.”  ****  
** **

Sakura, Sasuke and Naruto do just as Kakashi says. However, the shoe prints are too big to belong to any of the three genin. Kakashi, even holds one of his feet next to the shoe prints. The shoe prints are just a little too small to belong to Kakashi.  ****  
** **

Kakashi, looks in the direction in which the new shoe prints are headed. The new shoe prints, lead to and from a different part of the forest.  ****  
** **

“These new shoe impressions lead to and from that part of the forest.” Kakashi says.  ****  
** **

“What does this mean?” Reika asks.  ****  
** **

“What it means is we actually have four apple thieves, not three.” Kakashi says. “And...one of them...is a ninja. Probably a rogue ninja.”  ****  
** **

The eyes of Sasuke, Sakura, and Naruto widen immediately. Naruto, then grins.  ****  
** **

“Cool!” Naruto says. “Now this mission has gotten interesting. Protecting these trees from rogue ninja, count me in!”  ****  
** **

****************************************** ****  
** **

Thalia, carries a bucket towards a sink. After much debate, Thalia and Luke, agreed that the ‘motel’ was a great place to settle down. However, the place is in need of some serious cleaning.  ****  
** **

Thalia, turns on the hot water tap. After some experimentation, the children discovered that they also have running water and even hot water. Annabeth, thinks that the water is heated through alternative energy and since the solar panels and wind turbines still work, the taps are still producing hot water. The water just hasn’t been used for Zeus knows how long.  ****  
** **

Thalia, quickly fills up the bucket with hot water. Once the bucket is halfway full, Thalia turns off the tap. Thalia, then places a few rags into the hot water. Thalia, carries the bucket into the living area. The living area, is a large room with a hearth in the middle of it. Annabeth, is sweeping the soft mats that make up the floor. Annabeth, actually called them tatami mats. Tatami mats are flooring mats that originated in Japan. The mats are soft and prone to developing mold if they come into contact with moisture. Tatami mats actually allow the Japanese to sleep on the floor comfortably.  ****  
** **

Thalia, sighs as she sets the bucket down next to wall. The walls could use a good scrubbing with a damp rag.  ****  
** **

Suddenly, Luke walks into the room with something that looks like a really thick white comforter.  ****  
** **

“Hey girls,” Luke says. “Come check this out.”  ****  
** **

Annabeth and Thalia, walk over and examine the comforter. Annabeth, gasps.  ****  
** **

“I think it’s a futon, just like the Japanese use.” Annabeth says. “Basically you just lay them out on soft flooring like tatami mats. Then, you can go to sleep on the floor. Then, when you don’t need them, you just fold them up and store them away.”  ****  
** **

Annabeth, looks at Luke. “Are there more?” Annabeth asks.  ****  
** **

“Yes.” Luke replies. “This means we actually get to sleep on something besides the actual floor. Awesome!”  ****  
** **

Thalia, looks around. Probably time to get to work. The sooner they get this task done, the sooner they can relax in their new home.  ****  
** **

*************************************** ****  
** **

Itachi, walks into the clearing. Kisame, is tending a fire. Fish are roasting on spits, above the fire. Kisame, looks up.  ****  
** **

“There you are.” Kisame says. “Did you find anything?”  ****  
** **

Itachi, holds up the bag of apples. “Only apples.” Itachi simply replies.  ****  
** **

Kisame, shrugs his shoulders. “Better than nothing I suppose.” Kisame says.  ****  
** **

Itachi, sits down by the fire. “I picked three for each of us.” Itachi says. “If the two of us each eat an apple a day, then they will last us three days. That is enough time for the two of us to find a village and replenish our supplies.”  ****  
** **

Kisame, grabs a stick with a roasted fish at the end of it. “You are lucky you came back when you did.” Kisame says as he digs into his fish. “I was going to eat your fish if you weren’t back by the time I was finished with mine.  ****  
** **

Itachi, does not say anything. Itachi, simply sits down by the fire and takes the other stick. As Itachi eats his fish, his mind wanders back to those three children and their dog.

_Those children were wearing such strange clothing,_ Itachi thinks to himself. _They also had such strange names. The dog even had a weird name._

Itachi, blinks a few times as he remembers the weird aura that each child was giving off. Itachi, has never encountered such auras before. The auras radiated power...a lot of power. The most powerful aura, came from the older girl. Thalia.

Itachi, narrows his eyes as he thinks about Thalia. How does Thalia have Sakiko’s lips and freckles? And...why does Thalia’s hair look a lot like Sasuke’s? The whole thing just doesn’t make sense.

*************************************

“AHHH!” Annabeth screams as she backs away from the big black spider sitting on the wall. “SPIDER!”

Luke, runs into the room. “Don’t worry Annabeth!” Luke says as he takes off his shoe. “I will get it!”

Luke, smashes the spider with one hit. Thalia, comes into the room and frowns at the mess on the wall.

“I’m not gonna clean that up.” Thalia says as she hands Luke the bucket of water. “I have already cleaned up all of the walls in the kitchen and living room.

Luke, sighs. “I understand.” Luke says as he takes the bucket from Thalia. “I will clean it up. Why don’t you and Annabeth take a walk? I think some fresh air will help Annabeth.”

Thalia, looks at Annabeth, who is still hyperventilating. “That sounds like a good idea.” Thalia says.

Thalia, leads Annabeth out the door. Theia, follows obediently.

Thalia, takes a deep breath. Annabeth, takes a deep breath as well. Annabeth, slowly starts to calm down as she walks with Thalia and Theia.

“You’re right Thalia.” Annabeth says. “The fresh air is really helping me.”

“Glad to hear.” Thalia says as she walks.

Suddenly, Theia barks and takes off towards a clearing. Thalia and Annabeth, look at one another and take off after Theia. After a few minutes of running, Thalia and Annabeth, reach a clearing. Theia, sits at the edge of the clearing. Beyond the clearing is a large expanse of grass and trees. Fruit trees dot the landscape.

The two girls then hear small clucking sounds coming from the tall grass. Suddenly, a feathered creature emerges from the tall grass. It is a chicken.

Thalia, looks towards the left. There is a large hen house sitting by a tree. Thalia, looks at Annabeth.

“The people who used to live here must have raised animals for food.” Thalia says. “I wonder if there are any eggs in that hen house.”

Annabeth, shrugs her shoulders. “I dunno.” Annabeth says. “Maybe we should go check it out.”

Annabeth and Thalia, both head towards the hen house and unlatch the entrance. A strong smell comes from inside. Thalia and Annabeth, both wrinkle their noses.

“Yuck!” Annabeth says. “The hen house smells like it could use a good cleaning.”

“I know.” Thalia says. “Why don’t we go get hot water and some rags and clean it up in there?”

“Yeah…,” Annabeth says as she covers her nose. “Good idea. Then once it is clean, we can tell if there are eggs in there.”

Annabeth, then looks to the right. She narrows her eyes and points to a small path leading into the forest.

“I wonder where that path leads to.” Annabeth says.

Thalia, shrugs her shoulders. “I dunno,” Thalia says. “Why don’t we find out?”

**************************************

Luke, rifles through the cabinets in the motel kitchen. After cleaning up the smashed spider off of the wall, he decided to take a break and look through the kitchen. The kitchen is a large room with lots of counter space and storage. Luke, pulls out stacks of various dishware. He is taking inventory of the items within the kitchen.

“Big bowls…,” Luke says as he begins taking an inventory of the items in the kitchen. “Small bowls...big plates...small plates.”

Luke, puts the items back into the cabinet and moves onto another cabinet. Luke, begins pulling out the various items hidden within the cabinet.

“Mixing bowls…,” Luke says. “Liquid measuring cups...dry measuring cups...measuring spoons.”

Luke, puts the items back into the cabinet and prepares to move onto the next cabinet. However, out of the corner of his eye, Luke spots something on the wall. It is a handle. Luke, gets up and takes a closer look. It looks like a sliding pocket door with a handle. Luke, opens the door, revealing a room that looks like a giant pantry. Jars and cloth sacks are scattered on the shelves. Luke, steps inside and picks up a jar. Inside the jar is white rice.

Luke, grins widely. “Rice!” Luke says to himself. “Awesome!”

Luke, counts off two more jars of rice. Luke, picks up a jar full of a light amber colored substance. Luke, unscrews the lid and sniffs deeply. The amber colored substance...is honey.

Luke, grins even more. “Honey!” Luke says. “Even better.”

Luke, then picks up a sack and opens it. The sack is halfway full of sugar. Luke, grins even more.

“Sugar!” Luke says to himself. “This day just got a whole lot better.”

Suddenly, Thalia and Annabeth appear with Theia, following right at their heels.

“We just found chickens and a hen house.” Thalia says. “However, the hen house smells like it could use a good cleaning. Annabeth and I need some buckets, soap and hot water.”

Luke, grins even more. “Chickens!” Luke says. “Chickens mean we’ll have eggs for breakfast!”

Thalia, grins. “We also have fruit trees.” Thalia says. “Annabeth and I even checked out a backyard, and I think there are vegetables growing. The yards are just really overgrown. However, we should be able to harvest vegetables from the yards.”

Luke, lets out a surprised gasp. “Vegetables and fruit!?” Luke asks.

Thalia and Annabeth, nod in confirmation. Luke, grins widely.

“This day just keeps getting better and better!” Luke says. “Look...I also found some great things.”

Luke, begins showing off his findings. “Rice!” Luke says. “Honey! Even sugar!”

Annabeth, gasps and claps her hands. “Hurray!” Annabeth squeals. “Rice, honey, and sugar!”

Thalia, looks towards the door. “Why don’t we search all of the houses for food?” Thalia says. “There could be more and who knows what else.”

“Good Idea Thals.” Luke says.

“Wait!” Annabeth says. “Thalia and I were going to clean the hen house.”

Thalia’s eyes widen. “Oh that’s right.” Thalia says.

Annabeth, sighs. “There is so much we need to do.” Annabeth says. “We need to clean the motel. We need to clean the hen house. We need to gather things. What in Zeus’s name are we supposed to do first?!”

Luke, stands back to think for a minute. Then, he gets a brilliant idea.

“I have been taking stock of what is in this motel.” Luke says. “First thing we need to do is evaluate what resources are available in this place.”

Annabeth and Thalia, look at one another. “Well…,” Thalia says. “We do have electricity and running water.”

“Correct.” Luke says. “But what else do we have? What things are necessary for life?”

“Food…,” Annabeth begins. “Water...air...and shelter.”

“We have clean air here.” Luke says. “We have water and shelter. We also have food. We just need to determine what kinds of food are available and how much.”

Thalia, narrows her eyes. “You mean take stock of what food we have and how much we have?” Thalia asks.

“Exactly.” Luke says. “This also applies to other things such as clothing, and other supplies.”

Thalia, looks at her clothes. “You are right on that one.” Thalia says. “These clothes won’t fit us forever.”

“We also need to move what we do need and want into this building.” Luke says. “We can fill and decorate rooms to our pleasure.”

Annabeth’s eyes widen. “Decorate rooms!” Annabeth says with a squeal. “I want a toy room!”

Luke, smiles. “You can make yourself a toy room.” Luke says. “We can decorate the kitchen. We can decorate the living room. We can make this place ours. Our home.”

“Our home.” Annabeth says with a smile.

“Our home.” Thalia says as she smiles.

Luke, then looks around and sees an object that looks like a white box with white handles. It looks like a refrigerator.

“I actually do see a refrigerator over there.” Luke says as he looks at the white box with handles. “I wonder if it still works.”

Thalia, narrows her eyes. “It might.” Thalia says. “But if there is food in there, it is probably rotten. We will need to clean the refrigerator.”

“One more thing for us to do.” Annabeth says with a sigh.

Luke, sighs. “Alright girls, here is what we are gonna do.” Luke says. “First, we shall clean this place up. We need to clean the refrigerator and the pantry so that we can store food in a clean place.”

“You’re probably right Luke.” Thalia says. “It would not make sense to put food into a dirty place.”

Luke, looks around. “To clean this place up really good…,” Luke says. “We will need some soap. But first...we need to find some soap. Come on girls, help me look for some soap.”

Thalia, Annabeth, and Luke start searching all of the cabinets. All of the sudden, Thalia, opens a cabinet and pulls out a bottle full of a viscous liquid. Thalia, opens the cap and sniffs. Smells like soap to her.

“I found some!” Thalia calls out to her companions. “I also found some rags and buckets.”

Luke, smiles. “That’s great.” Luke says. “Let’s get to work. Annabeth, you clean the countertops. Thalia, you clean the cabinets. I will clean the pantry. Once we are done we shall move onto the rest of the motel.”

****************************************

“Look out below!” Naruto calls out as he and a few shadow clones, drop dozens of apples from a tree. Sakura, Sasuke, and a few village children rush to catch them.

“Naruto!” Sakura, yells as she catches apples and puts them into buckets. “Don’t drop the apples like that. Sasuke, the kids and I are barely catching them in time.”

Naruto, does not listen. Naruto and his other clones, pick more apples and drop them from the tree. Sasuke, Sakura, and the village children rush to catch the apples.

“Mister ninja, you are dropping the apples too fast!” A little girl with orange hair and blue eyes says.

“Yeah!” A little boy with brown hair and light brown eyes says. “We can only catch so many apples at a time.”

Naruto, still does not listen. He and his clones continue to drop apples. One of the apples, hits Sasuke on the head. Sasuke, winces and rubs his head.

“Idiot, you dropped an apple on my head.” Sasuke says with an annoyed voice.

Naruto and all of his clones snicker and continue to drop apples. However, Kakashi suddenly appears in the tree and starts deactivating all of the clones. The real Naruto, huffs as Kakashi, pops the last shadow clone.

“Oh come on Kakashi Sensei…,” Naruto says. “I am just trying to make this mission interesting.”

“That is enough Naruto.” Kakashi says. “Your way of harvesting the apples is too much for Sakura, Sasuke and the children to handle. You had way too many shadow clones dropping apples from this tree.”

Kakashi, looks around at all of the trees. Villagers pick apples from the other trees.

“I actually have a better idea.” Kakashi says. Kakashi, jumps down from the tree and takes a few shoulder bags from Hajimu. “Make a few shadow clones for each tree and have every clone wear this special shoulder bag. You and the clones can gather the apples and put them into these shoulder bags. Once the shoulder bags are full, you can come down from the tree and take them to the wagon.”

Naruto, huffs. “But that isn’t interesting!” Naruto argues.

“Look around at all of the trees Naruto.” Kakashi says. “I said that I wanted a few clones for each tree.”

Naruto, looks around at all of the trees in the orchard. “There are actually a lot of trees.” Naruto says.

“Correct.” Kakashi says. “Iruka told me that you once made a hundred clones. Think of this as a challenge. Make at least three clones for each tree and see how many apples your clones can gather.”

Naruto, narrows his eyes as he thinks about this for a minute.

“And…,” Kakashi says. “If you and your clones target the highest branches, it would really help Hajimu and the rest of the villagers. Hajimu, says that the village always has a hard time collecting the apples from the highest branches. Sasuke, Sakura, the villagers and I can focus on the lower branches.”

Naruto, sits on a tree branch and crosses his arms, still not sold on Kakashi’s idea.

“And…,” Kakashi says. “Many shadow clones gathering apples all at once, will get the task done much quicker. In other words...our mission time will be cut in half.”

Naruto’s eyes widen and he lets out a grin. Naruto, puts his hands together.

“How many trees are there?” Naruto asks.

Kakashi, turns to Hajimu. “Well, how many trees are there in this orchard?” Kakashi asks.

“At least thirty.” Hajimu says. “The other orchard has at least fifty.”

“We shall focus on this orchard today.” Kakashi says. “Alright then, let’s do three shadow clones for each tree. That is ninety clones in total.”

Naruto, grins. “Ninety shadow clones coming right up!” Naruto yells.

*************************************

The sun is just starting to set. Inside the motel, Thalia, Luke, and Annabeth are sorting through crates full of jars and cloth sacks. More jars and cloth sacks sit on the floor around them. Theia, lays beside Annabeth.

Thalia, sighs “I am so glad that is over.” Thalia says. “ I am so tired.”

“I am to.” Luke admits. “But hey, we got the entire motel cleaned up and we gathered food. That is something to be proud of.”

“Yeah.” Thalia says. “But will still have so much work to do.”

“We have to clean up the hen house.” Annabeth says. “We have to organize and decorate.”

“That stuff can come later.” Luke says. “I think what is most important right now is evaluating our food supply.”

“Alright…,” Thalia says. “Let’s see what we have.”

Luke, grabs jars and begins trying to determine what kind of food is in it. “This looks like white rice.” Luke says as he examines a jar full of white rice.

“This stuff looks like wild rice.” Annabeth says as she holds up a jar full of dark colored rice.

Thalia, opens up a sack, revealing more white sugar. “More sugar.” Thalia says as she sets the sack off to the side.

Luke, looks at the crates. “Let’s take everything out of the crates.” Luke says. “Then, we can start sorting the food. White rice can go in one crate. Wild rice can go in another. The sacks of sugar can go in another crate. Then, when the crates are full, we can put the food into the pantry.”

“Good Idea Luke.” Thalia says.

Luke, empties a crate and puts a few jars of white rice into the crate. “White rice goes into this crate.” Luke says.

Luke, then empties another crate. Luke, puts Annabeth’s jar of wild rice into the crate. “This crate is for wild rice.” Luke says.

Thalia, empties a crate and puts her sack of sugar into it. “This crate is for sugar.” Thalia says.

Luke, narrows his eyes. “You know, sugar and salt look a lot alike.” Luke says. “Are you absolutely certain that is sugar? I mean we haven’t tasted it.”

Thalia, furrows her brows. “That is a good point.” Thalia says. “I guess we should taste it then.”

Luke, goes into the kitchen and fetches a spoon from a drawer. Luke, hands the spoon to Thalia. Thalia, scoops a tiny amount of the grainy white substance onto the spoon. Without putting her lips or tongue to the spoon, Thalia, pours the substance onto her tongue. Thalia’s eyes widen as she swallows. Thalia, gags and reaches for her bottle of water.

“It’s salt.” Thalia says as she takes a gulp of water.

Luke, takes the sack from Thalia. “Ok…,” Luke says as he puts the sack back into the crate. “Now we know that is salt.”

Annabeth, grabs the crate with the salt. “Why don’t we set all of the sacks off to the side?” Annabeth asks. “After we sort through the jars, we can taste everything from the sacks. That way we know if it is sugar or salt.”

“Good idea Annie.” Luke says. “Alright here is the plan. We shall sort through all of the jars and then we shall sort through the sacks.”

“Alright…,” Annabeth says.

“Yes, whatever you say Luke.” Thalia says as she drinks some more water.

Luke, frowns. “Oh come on Thals.” Luke says. “It couldn’t have been that bad.”

Thalia, frowns. “Why don’t you try it then?” Thalia says. “I dare you.”

Luke, smirks. “Alright then.” Luke says as he takes the sack out of the crate and opens it.

Annabeth’s eyes widen. She knows how bad a mouthful of salt can taste. Annabeth’s stepmother once forced her to swallow a mouthful of salt as punishment for something she didn’t even do.

“Luke, I wouldn’t.” Annabeth says warningly.

Luke, doesn’t pay attention to Annabeth. He takes the spoon and scoops up a little bit of the salt. Luke, opens his mouth wide and pours the salt onto his tongue. Luke, closes his mouth. Luke’s eyes widen as he swallows. Luke, then grabs his bottle of water and takes a big gulp.  
“Ok…,” Luke says. “That was bad.”

Thalia, crosses her arms. “Good, you believe me.” Thalia says.

“Sorry I doubted you.” Luke simply says.

All of the sudden, Annabeth’s stomach lets out a low rumble. The little girl frowns. She gets to her feet. Annabeth, slowly walks over to where the children’s bags of apples are. The children retrieved the apples while they scavenged for food. Annabeth, walks over with a bag of apples. Annabeth, takes out four apples. Annabeth, puts an apple in front of Theia. The dog’s ears perk up. Theia, starts using her canines to gnaw on the apple.

Annabeth, hands an apple to Luke. “Here, eat this.” Annabeth says. “This should help take the taste of the salt out of your mouth.”

Luke, takes the apple from Annabeth. “Thanks Annie.” Luke says.

Annabeth, hands an apple to Thalia. “Thanks.” Thalia says as she accepts the apple.

As the children eat their apples, Thalia, scans the room. Thalia and her companions still have a lot of work to do. However, they are making progress. They just have to organize and decorate the place to make it more like a home.


	12. Uchiha dreams III

Itachi and Kisame, both lay around the campfire. The flames from the campfire light up the surrounding forest. The moon glows brightly in the night sky.  ****  
** **

Kisame, snores lightly in his sleep. Kisame, shifts and turns to his side.  ****  
** **

Itachi, breathes slowly as he sleeps. Suddenly, Itachi’s face scrunches up. Itachi, shifts in his sleep.  ****  
** **

….Itachi’s dreamscape…. ****  
** **

_ Itachi, stands close to a tree. Opposite the tree is a clearing with a small waterfall. The sun is setting over the horizon.  _ ****  
** **

_ Sakiko, sits on a rock and watches the sunset. Sakiko, puts a hand on her stomach, which looks as if it is swollen slightly.  _ ****  
** **

_ Sakiko, suddenly jumps up at hearing a noise behind her. Sakiko, turns to see three girls around her age, standing by the treeline. The three unknown girls frown.  _ ****  
** **

_ “Excuse me,” One of the girls says with a sneer. The girl has black hair. “Who told you that you could sit there?”  _ ****  
** **

_ Sakiko, doesn’t say anything. She simply gets up from the rock. Sakiko’s stomach is even more visible now. Itachi’s eyes widen. Sakiko...is pregnant.  _ ****  
** **

_ Sakiko, starts to walk away. The three unknown girls soon laugh cruelly.  _ ****  
** **

_ “That’s right, you whore!” Says a dark brown haired girl. “Go home and stay there. No one wants you in this village.”  _ ****  
** **

_ “Just leave and never come back!” A light brown haired girl says. “Everyone in the village would love it if you did.”  _ ****  
** **

_ Sakiko, tries to quicken her pace. Tears start flowing from her eyes.  _ ****  
** **

_ Itachi, narrows his eyes. Sakiko, had told him that everyone in the village besides her extended family, shunned her because of her grandmother’s unsavory history. But...these girls are being unnecessarily cruel, especially given Sakiko’s condition.  _ ****  
** **

_ Leaves float up off the ground, and start swirling around Itachi. The green leaves slowly turn into dried golden, red, and orange leaves. The leaves stop swirling and fall to the ground. Itachi, is now in the middle of the Araya village. The village buzzes with activity. People walk around and talk pleasantly to each other.  _ ****  
** **

_ Sakiko, walks up a path and into the village center. Many villagers turn and frown at the sight of Sakiko. Sakiko’s stomach is even more swollen. Sakiko, must be further along in her pregnancy. _ ****  
** **

_ Sakiko, keeps her head low and avoids eye contact with the other villagers. However, the villagers sneer anyway.  _ ****  
** **

_ “Oh look everyone…,” An orange haired woman says with a sneer. “It’s the little whore.”  _ ****  
** **

_ “She is a whore just like her grandmother.” A woman with black hair says with a huff. “I always knew the girl would grow up to be just like Akira.”  _ ****  
** **

_ A man, growls lowly. “And worse yet…,” The man says. “The girl got herself pregnant with a mass murderer’s spawn!”  _ ****  
** **

_ Itachi’s eyes widen again. Mass murderer’s spawn? Wait...does that mean the villagers think that he got Sakiko pregnant? _ ****  
** **

...end of dream… ****  
** **

Itachi’s eyes slowly flicker open. Kisame, is crouching next to him. Kisame, points to the forest.  ****  
** **

“I sense chakra signatures nearby.” Kisame whispers. “They might be hunter nin.”  ****  
** **

Itachi, slowly sits up and grabs a kunai from his waist pouch. Itachi, slowly examines the surrounding forest with his sharingan. Kisame, is right. There are at least five different chakra signatures scattered throughout the surrounding forest.  ****  
** **

All of the sudden, a kunai breaks through the leaves of a nearby tree and heads straight for Itachi. Itachi, deflects the kunai. More kunai’s fly out of the trees.  ****  
** **

Itachi, moves swiftly as he dodges the kuanis. Kisame, does the same. Within seconds, five hunter nin jump out from the trees and charge at the two missing nin.  ****  
** **

********************************* ****  
** **

Sasuke, moves slightly as he lays on a futon. Sakura, lays next to Sasuke, on her own futon. Kakashi and Naruto, are out guarding one of the apple orchards. A group of villagers are guarding the second orchard. Soon, it will be time for Sasuke to get up and spend a few hours with Kakashi, guarding the orchard.  ****  
** **

Sakura, moves slightly on her futon. The girl breathes lightly and peacefully in her slumber.  ****  
** **

Sasuke, lays on his futon. Suddenly, Sasuke’s face scrunches up and he begins shifting wildly on the futon.  ****  
** **

...Sasuke’s dreamscape… ****  
** **

_ Sasuke, stands in the middle of a snow covered field. Snow falls lightly around him.  _ ****  
** **

_ A few meters away, a crowd is gathered towards the edge of a village. Sakiko, stands a few feet to Sasuke’s right. Sakiko’s arms are wrapped around her swollen stomach. Sakiko, gasps and falls to her knees. Sakiko, grimaces as she takes a deep breath. Most of the villagers simply sneer at Sakiko. A man stands in the center of the crowd. The man has short black hair, ultramarine blue eyes, and fair skin.  _ ****  
** **

_ A man with brown hair and ultramarine blue eyes, tries to get to Sakiko. However, a couple villagers prevent the man from doing so. The man pleads as the villagers hold him back.  _ ****  
** **

_ “Toma!” The brown haired man says. “Please, my niece is in labor. She needs me.”  _ ****  
** **

_ Sasuke’s eyes widen. He recognizes this man from one of his previous dreams. This man is Sakiko’s uncle? _ ****  
** **

_ Two older women, try to get to Sakiko as well. However, a group of villagers block the two women, preventing them from approaching Sakiko.  _ ****  
** **

_ “Toma please…,” One of the women pleads to the man standing in the center of the crowd. The woman has graying blonde hair and ultramarine blue eyes. “My great-niece is in labor. She needs assistance.”  _ ****  
** **

_ “Sakiko, needs help!” The second woman says with urgency. The second woman has graying dark blonde hair and sapphire blue eyes. “Toma, please let Rina and I help her.”  _ ****  
** **

_ Sasuke, looks at the man at the center of the crowd. That man must be Toma. These women are pleading with Toma, so Toma must be the village leader.  _ ****  
** **

_ Toma, narrows his eyes. “No…,” Toma says with a sneer. “I have made up my mind regarding the situation. I will not allow the little whore to give birth to her kinslayer’s spawn within the confines of this village.”  _ ****  
** **

_ Sakiko’s uncle gasps. The two women gasp as well. Sakiko, lets out a choked sob as she looks at Toma with wide eyes.  _ ****  
** **

_ “Toma…,” Sakiko’s uncle says. “If my niece can’t give birth within the village, then where else do you expect her to give birth.”  _ ****  
** **

_ “I am banishing her to the western side of the valley.” Toma says with a cruel voice. “She can have her little bastard there.”  _ ****  
** **

_ Sakiko’s uncle, and the two women all gasp. Their eyes are wide as they process Toma’s words. Sakiko, lets out a gasp as well.  _ ****  
** **

_ The first woman sighs. Since the second woman said, ‘Rina and I’ earlier, Sasuke is guessing that the first woman is Rina.  _ ****  
** **

_ “Alright then…,” Rina says. “Korra and I shall take Sakiko—” _ ****  
** **

_ “NO!” Toma yells out with a voice full of authority. “The little whore shall give birth alone!”  _ ****  
** **

_ Sakiko’s uncle and the two women all gasp again. Their eyes are filled with horror. Sakiko, lets out a pained gasp.  _ ****  
** **

_ Sasuke’s eyes widen. Sasuke, is pretty sure that women need help giving birth.  _ ****  
** **

_ “Please Toma…,” The first woman cries. “Sakiko, is just a child. She needs assistance.”  _ ****  
** **

_ “Toma please.” The second woman says. Sasuke, is guessing that the second woman is Korra. “Sakiko, needs support. She is in a great deal of pain.”  _ ****  
** **

_ “No!” Toma says again. “This is the little whore’s punishment for her mistake. She slept with a mass murderer and kinslayer and got pregnant as a result. This is the girl’s punishment for her actions.”  _ ****  
** **

_ Sakiko’s uncle breaks free and manages to rush to Sakiko’s side. However, Toma orders two men to seize Sakiko’s uncle. The two men grab Sakiko’s uncle and drag him away. Sakiko’s uncle, struggles to break free.   _ ****  
** **

_ “No!” Sakiko’s uncle yells. “My niece needs me! Please Toma, let me go with her!”  _ ****  
** **

_ “NO!” Toma says with a thundering voice. “No one goes with the little whore. No one!”  _ ****  
** **

_ Toma, looks at Sakiko’s uncle with cold eyes. Then, Toma looks at the two men restraining Sakiko’s uncle. “In fact…,” Toma says to the two men. “I would like the two of you to throw Jarou, into the village prison. That way he cannot sneak away and help the little whore.”  _ ****  
** **

_ Sasuke’s eyes widen. Throw Sakiko’s uncle into the village prison? That is very extreme.  _ ****  
** **

_ Sakiko’s uncle, Jarou, gasps. The two women gasp. Sakiko, lets out a horrified gasp. The two men who are restraining Jarou, begin dragging him away. Jarou, yells as he struggles to break free.  _ ****  
** **

_ “NO!” Jarou screams as he struggles. “Toma, don’t do this!”  _ ****  
** **

_ “Uncle Jarou…,” Sakiko says with a pained gasp as she watches her uncle get dragged away.  _ ****  
** **

_ Toma, glares at Sakiko. “Sakiko Araya…,” Toma says. “You slept with the criminal and kinslayer, Itachi Uchiha. Now, you carry his child within you. For your mistake, I...Toma Araya, leader of the Araya clan village, hereby banish you to the western and barren edge of our clan’s valley. You shall give birth by yourself. No one shall assist you. You are not to return until you have given birth to your little abomination. I shall then decide what happens to the little abomination.”  _ ****  
** **

_ Sasuke, narrows his eyes. The child within Sakiko, is Itachi’s then. _ ****  
** **

_ Rina, gets a steely look in her eyes. She throws a bag towards Sakiko, who catches it.  _ ****  
** **

_ “Sakiko, take this.” Rina yells. “There are supplies in there that you will need after the delivery.”  _ ****  
** **

_ Toma, glares at Rina. He then turns back towards Sakiko. “Well, what are you waiting for, little whore?!” Toma yells. “Get going!”  _ ****  
** **

_ Other villagers glare and start yelling at Sakiko. Sakiko, turns away and starts to slowly make her way east. Sakiko, clutches the bag as she slowly hobbles across the snow covered ground. _ ****  
** **

...end of dream… ****  
** **

“Sasuke…,” Sasuke hears Sakura’s voice say. “Get up.”  ****  
** **

Sasuke’s eyes flicker open. Sakura, is standing over him.  ****  
** **

“It’s time for you to help Kakashi sensei, guard the apple orchard.” Sakura says.  ****  
** **

“Oh…,” Sasuke says. Sasuke, sits up and throws the covers off of him.  ****  
** **

Sasuke, quickly tidies up his futon. Sakura, notices the look in Sasuke’s eyes.  ****  
** **

“Sasuke, are you ok?” Sakura asks. “You look like you are thinking about something.”  ****  
** **

Sasuke, shakes his head. “I just had another weird dream.” Sasuke says.  ****  
** **

Sakura’s eyes widen. “Another weird dream?” Sakura asks with concern.  ****  
** **

Sasuke, shakes his head. “Yeah.” Sasuke says. “But...I will be fine. Let’s just go.”  ****  
** **

Sakura, narrows her eyes, as if unsure whether to press for more information. Eventually, Sakura just sighs and gets up from her sitting position. She goes back to her futon.  ****  
** **

Sasuke, puts on his sandals and exits the house. As Sasuke, walks towards the forest, he thinks of his dream. He has been having a lot of dreams lately. Sasuke, wishes that he could confide in someone. Suddenly, Naruto and Kakashi, emerge from the nearby forest.  ****  
** **

“Alright, Sasuke.” Naruto says. “It’s your turn to guard that stupid orchard with Sensei.”  ****  
** **

Naruto, makes his way towards Hajimu’s house. Hajimu and Rina, had set the ninja’s up in a room of their house.  ****  
** **

Sasuke, looks at Kakashi. Maybe Kakashi, would understand Sasuke’s dreams. It would also be a good time for Sasuke to tell Kakashi, about his sharingan.  ****  
** **

“Hey Kakashi…,” Sasuke says. “I have something to tell you.”  ****  
** **

******************************************* ****  
** **

Thalia, Luke, Annabeth, and Theia, all lay on futons as they sleep.  ****  
** **

Luke, lays sprawled out on his futon. Luke, yawns and turns underneath his covers.  ****  
** **

Annabeth, yawns as she turns in her sleep. Theia, lays curled up on her own futon next to Annabeth.  ****  
** **

Thalia, shifts underneath the covers. Thalia’s face scrunches up as she tosses and turns.  ****  
** **

…Thalia’s dreamscape… ****  
** **

_ Thalia, looks around at her surroundings. She is in the middle of a village. Villagers dance and talk pleasantly to each other. A fire roars inside a hearth.  _ ****  
** **

_ Sakiko, walks into the village center. Her stomach is swollen. Thalia’s eyes widen. Sakiko, is pregnant.  _ ****  
** **

_ The crowd of villagers stop dancing and simply sneer at the sight of Sakiko. One woman, huffs and crosses her arms.  _ ****  
** **

_ “Get out of here you little whore!” The woman says. “We don’t want you here.”  _ ****  
** **

_ “Yeah!” A girl about Sakiko’s age yells. “Leave now! And take your kinslayers spawn with you!”  _ ****  
** **

_ Thalia, narrows her eyes. Kinslayer’s spawn? _ ****  
** **

_ Sakiko, trembles and turns away. She starts running until she reaches a meadow. Sakiko, collapses to the ground and starts crying her heart out.  _ ****  
** **

_ The wind begins to blow. The scene shifts like a movie being played on fast forward. Leaves float up off of the ground and morph into snowflakes. The wind stops blowing and the snowflakes start to fall around Thalia. A few meters away, a crowd is gathered towards the edge of a village.  _ ****  
** **

_ Sakiko, sits on the ground a few feet away. Sakiko’s arms are wrapped around her swollen stomach. Sakiko, gasps and grimaces.  _ ****  
** **

_ Thalia’s eyes widen. Sakiko, is acting like she is in labor. Thalia, remembers her mother going into labor as if it was yesterday.  _ ****  
** **

_ Most of the villagers simply sneer at Sakiko. A man stands in the center of the crowd. The man has short black hair, ultramarine blue eyes, and fair skin.  _ ****  
** **

_ A man with brown hair and ultramarine blue eyes, struggles as two men, drag him away.  _ ****  
** **

_ “NO!” The brown haired man cries out. “Toma, don’t do this!”  _ ****  
** **

_ “Uncle Jarou…,” Sakiko says with a pained gasp as she watches the man, her uncle, get dragged away.  _ ****  
** **

_ Thalia, looks on with confusion. What is going on here? _ ****  
** **

_ The black haired man glares at Sakiko. “Sakiko Araya…,” The black haired man says. “You slept with the criminal and kinslayer, Itachi Uchiha. Now, you carry his child within you. For your mistake, I...Toma Araya, leader of the Araya clan village, hereby banish you to the western and barren edge of our clan’s valley. You shall give birth by yourself. No one shall assist you. You are not to return until you have given birth to your little abomination. I shall then decide what happens to the little abomination.”  _ ****  
** **

_ Thalia’s eyes widen. The pieces all fit together now. That teenage boy...Itachi. The baby inside Sakiko, belongs to him.  _ ****  
** **

_ A woman with graying blonde hair and ultramarine blue eyes, gets a steely look in her eyes. She throws a bag towards Sakiko, who catches it.  _ ****  
** **

_ “Sakiko, take this.” The woman yells. “There are supplies in there that you will need after the delivery.”  _ ****  
** **

_ The black haired man, Toma, glares at Rina. He then turns back towards Sakiko. “Well, what are you waiting for, little whore?!” Toma yells. “Get going!”  _ ****  
** **

_ Other villagers glare and start yelling at Sakiko. Sakiko, turns away and starts to slowly make her way west. Sakiko, clutches the bag as she slowly hobbles across the snow covered ground.  _ ****  
** **

_ The snow blows around Thalia. Toma and the other villagers disappear into bright light. The bright light soon scatters and forms snowflakes, which fall silently around Thalia. The scene before Thalia, is off a barren stretch of land. The only thing that occupies the area is an old run down cabin.  _ ****  
** **

_ Sakiko, slowly hobbles as he makes her way towards the cabin. Once at the door, Sakiko, slides it open. Sakiko, enters the cabin and collapses to the floor. Sakiko, grunts and whimpers as she lies on the floor. _ ****  
** **

...end of dream… ****  
** **

Thalia’s eyes slowly flutter open. Luke, sits next Thalia. Annabeth and Theia, sit on Thalia’s other side.  ****  
** **

“Thalia…,” Luke says. “We tried to wake you up a few minutes ago, but you wouldn’t get up.”  ****  
** **

Thalia, blinks a few times. “Oh…,” Thalia says. “I was just having another dream.”  ****  
** **

Luke, narrows his eyes. “Really?” Luke asks. “Another dream? Would you like to discuss it.”  ****  
** **

Thalia, turns away. “Not really.” Thalia says. “It was really strange. I don’t think that either of you would understand it.”  ****  
** **

Thalia, closes her eyes as she remembers all of her other dreams. Thalia, just wishes that she knew why she is having these dreams.  ****  
** **

Luke, puts a hand on Thalia’s shoulder. “Thalia…,” Luke says. “Something is bothering you. Please, tell Annabeth and I what is wrong.”  ****  
** **

Thalia, sighs. She realizes that luke is not going to let the matter go. “Ok, I will tell you.” Thalia says. “Ever since that incident where my eyes turned red, I have been having strange dreams.”  ****  
** **

Luke, narrows his eyes. “Mind telling us what these dreams have been about?”  ****  
** **

Thalia, shakes her head. “You wouldn’t understand them.” Thalia says.  ****  
** **

Luke, sighs. “Thalia…,” Luke says. “Just tell Annabeth and I. The two of us will try to understand them. That’s what friends do. They tell each other all about their problems.”  ****  
** **

Thalia, sighs. “Alright…,” Thalia says. “I will start from the beginning.”  ****  
** **

****************************************** ****  
** **

Kisame and Itachi, wash the blood off of them in a stream. They killed those five hunter nin very easily. A few minutes after that, Zetsu, arrived to tell Kisame and Itachi about another assignment from Leader. Zetsu, disposed of the bodies of the five hunter nin for Kisame and Itachi. Now, Itachi and Kisame, must wash the blood off of them.  ****  
** **

Itachi, sighs as the last smear of blood washes off of his cloak. Kisame, shakes his wet cloak.  ****  
** **

“Great…,” Kisame mutters. “Now we have to wait for our cloaks to dry.”  ****  
** **

“The sun is rising.” Itachi says. “We shall lay them out in the sun. Our cloaks will dry more quickly in sunlight.”  ****  
** **

Kisame, spreads his cloak out next to him. Itachi, does the same with his cloak. Kisame, then notices the look in his partner’s eyes.  ****  
** **

“There is something bothering you.” Kisame states with a matter of factly voice. “Mind telling me what is wrong?”  ****  
** **

“No.” Itachi says. Itachi, does not wish to tell Kisame about his dreams.  ****  
** **

“Oh come on!” Kisame says. “You have been acting very strange lately. You always seem to be thinking about something.”  ****  
** **

Itachi, closes his eyes. Itachi, knows deep down that Kisame is not going to let this go. Itachi, opens his eyes and looks at Kisame.  ****  
** **

“Alright.” Itachi says. “I shall tell you. I have been having strange dreams lately.”  ****  
** **

Kisame, raises a brow. “Strange dreams?” Kisame asks. “I never thought of a guy like you having dreams. Mind telling me about them?”  ****  
** **

Itachi, narrows his eyes. “No.” Itachi says. “I would rather keep them to myself.”  ****  
** **

“Oh come on!” Kisame says. “We have not had anything interesting to talk about lately.”  ****  
** **

Itachi, closes his eyes again. Now that Kisame knows, there is no reason for Itachi, to keep the details of his dreams from Kisame.  ****  
** **

“Alright then…,” Itachi says. “My dreams began around three nights ago.”  **  
**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy! Thalia, is going to reveal her dreams to her friends. Itachi, is going to reveal his dreams to Kisame. Sasuke, is going to tell Kakashi, about awakening his sharingan and his strange dreams. What will happen? What will Luke and Annabeth, think of Thalia's dreams? What will Kisame, think of Itachi's dreams? What will Kakashi, think about Sasuke's strange dreams?


	13. Discussions

Sasuke and Kakashi, walk back towards the village. Sasuke, looks down. 

“I know it sounds crazy.” Sasuke says. “Itachi, getting a girl pregnant. I mean, why would I dream of something like that?” 

Kakashi, looks at Sasuke. “I have no answers to that Sasuke.” Kakashi says. “Besides, they are just dreams. Not like they have any truth to them.” 

Sasuke, closes his eyes. “But they have all been so vivid.” Sasuke says. “It’s almost like they are visions.” 

“Dreams can be vivid.” Kakashi says. “That doesn’t mean anything.” 

Sasuke, looks down. “That still doesn’t explain why I am having these dreams.” Sasuke says. “Why am I having these dreams in the first place?” 

Kakashi, closes his eyes. “Well…,” Kakashi says. “These dreams began right after you activated your sharingan. Maybe you have a longing not to be the only Uchiha besides Itachi.” 

Sasuke’s eyes widen. He looks up at Kakashi. 

“Think about it,” Kakashi says. “If your dreams were true, then you wouldn’t be the last Uchiha besides Itachi.” 

Sasuke, looks down. He closes his eyes. However, Sasuke is brought out of his thoughts by the sound of Naruto and Sakura’s voices approaching. Sasuke, opens his eyes and looks up. Naruto and Sakura, are running up to Sasuke and Kakashi. 

“Reika, has made breakfast for us.” Sakura says. “Hajimu, has sent some villagers to guard the orchards until it is time to start harvesting.” 

Kakashi, smiles. “Alright…,” Kakashi says. Kakashi, then lets out a yawn. “I could use a little nap as well. Sasuke and I shall take short naps after breakfast. Then, we will join the two of you later. You know the agreement right?” 

Sakura, nods. “Yes.” Sakura says. “Whoever takes the last shift for the night gets to take a nap after breakfast.” 

“Yes.” Kakashi says. “That means Sasuke and I get to take naps after breakfast.” 

Naruto’s stomach growls. He grins. “Oh boy, I am hungry!” Naruto says. “Race you back to the house.” 

Naruto, starts running back towards the house. Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura don’t bother to follow. Sakura, shakes her head. 

“That Naruto…,” Sakura says. “He is always trying to make a competition out of everything.” 

Sakura, slowly starts walking back towards the house. Once Sakura is out of earshot, Kakashi, turns back to Sasuke. 

“By the way…,” Kakashi says. “Congrats on awakening your sharingan. I can start teaching you how to use your sharingan once we return home.” 

Kakashi, then looks around as if to make sure no one else is listening. “And, make sure to tell me if you have anymore dreams.” Kakashi says. “If they start occurring on a nightly basis, then they can’t be ignored.” 

Sasuke, nods. Kakashi, starts walking back to the house. Sasuke, is left alone to think about things. 

_ A longing not to the only other Uchiha…, _ Sasuke thinks to himself. Sasuke, then closes his eyes. 

For the past five years, Sasuke has lived in a state of overwhelming and never ending loneliness. The loneliness sometimes makes Sasuke wish that he had died all those years ago. The loneliness is the worst part of Sasuke’s life as an orphan. That is why Sasuke can understand Naruto’s attitude and behavior. 

Sasuke, opens his eyes. He looks up at the sky. 

_ A longing not to be the only other Uchiha…, _ Sasuke thinks to himself again. 

Sasuke, blinks a few times. He soon grits his teeth. Sasuke, clenches his hands into fists. 

_ Just because I have a longing not be the last Uchiha…, _ Sasuke thinks.  _ Doesn’t mean I want Itachi to have heirs. The bastard doesn’t deserve to have a bloodline, not after what he did. _

Sasuke, closes his eyes. He thinks of the past. 

_ Father...mother…, _ Sasuke thinks to himself.  _ I miss both of you so much. I promise that I will avenge the two of you, along with the rest of our clan.  _

Sasuke, slowly relaxes. His hands are no longer clenched into fists. Sasuke, slowly walks towards Hajimu’s house. Once at the door, Sasuke enters the house. Sasuke, takes his shoes off and walks into the kitchen. Kakashi, Naruto, Sakura, and Hajimu’s family are all gathered around the table. Kakashi, looks at Sasuke as he sits down. 

“Just in time.” Kakashi says. “Reika just dished everything up. What took you so long?” 

Sasuke, just grabs his chopsticks. “I was just thinking about things.” Sasuke says as he slowly digs into his breakfast. 

**************************************

Thalia, blinks as she finishes telling Luke and Annabeth about her latest dream. 

“And then…,” Thalia says. “I woke up.” 

Luke and Annabeth, blink and look at each other. They say nothing. Thalia, sighs. 

“I knew the two of you would not understand my dreams.” Thalia says. 

Luke, blinks a few times. “We may not understand your dreams, but we can help you try to figure out why you are having these dreams.” Luke says. “We just need to put our heads together and think.” 

“You had your first dream right after your eyes turned red.” Annabeth says. “That cannot be a coincidence. And...that guy from your dream...Itachi...his eyes were red just like yours.” 

“Yeah…,” Luke says. “If your dreams are true, then it means there are other people out there who are like you.” 

Thalia’s eyes widen. “You are right on that one.” Thalia says. 

“Itachi, is actually a Japanese name.” Annabeth says. “It means ‘weasel’. Weasels are actually considered bad omens in Japan.” 

Thalia, narrows her eyes. “Remember the men we have encountered in this world?” Thalia asks. “Their names are Japanese in origin to. Maybe Itachi, is from this world.” 

Luke, rubs his chin. “You might be right, Thalia.” Luke says. “I do remember when your eyes turned red, the men you were fighting looked really shocked. It was almost like they had seen those eyes before.” 

Thalia’s eyes widen. “Really?” Thalia asks. 

Luke nods. “Yeah.” Luke says. 

Annabeth, crosses her arms. “But…,” Annabeth says. “How can Thalia, have the same eyes as that guy, Itachi? This is a different world. Thalia and Itachi, are from different worlds.” 

Luke, closes his eyes. “Remember the dimensional rift that brought us here?” Luke asks. “Maybe, dimensional rifts can send people from this world, to our world. Perhaps, one of Thalia’s mortal ancestors was actually from this world.” 

Thalia’s eyes widen. “I suppose that is a possibility.” Thalia says. 

Luke, rubs his chin thoughtfully. “Then, in your second dream…,” Luke begins. “Itachi, was with a girl, that he called Sakiko. Itachi and Sakiko, layed in a meadow together, while they were naked.” 

Thalia, Luke and Annabeth all look at one another. They all realize what that must mean. Annabeth, wrinkles her nose. 

“Itachi and Sakiko, must have done you know what together.” Annabeth says. 

Thalia, wrinkles her own nose. “Yeah.” Thalia says. 

Luke, rubs his chin again. “Then,” Luke says. “In the second part of that dream, Sakiko, was crying and Itachi was nowhere to be seen.” 

“Itachi, must have left after he and Sakiko, were done having sex.” Thalia says. “Sakiko, was obviously upset by this.” 

Annabeth, frowns. “But…,” Annabeth begins. “Then, in your third dream, people told Sakiko, that Itachi was a ‘kinslayer’. A kinslayer is someone who kills a member or members of his or her own family.” 

Luke, narrows his eyes. “If that guy really did kill his own family then that is seriously messed up.” Luke says. “That means he is not a good guy at all.” 

Thalia, frowns. “You are right.” Thalia says. “And it was because of Itachi’s supposed crimes that the people in my dreams shunned and hated the baby within that girl, Sakiko. They even banished her when she went into labor. That is so messed up.” 

“Yeah.” Annabeth says. “That is messed up alright. Those people were so cruel.” 

Luke, sighs. “Unfortunately…,” Luke says. “People can be that cruel.” 

Thalia, sighs. “Why am I having these dreams?” Thalia asks. “Why?” 

Luke, shrugs. “Maybe it is just because Itachi has the same eyes as you.” Luke says. “If one of your ancestors was really from this world, Then you and Itachi must somehow be connected.” 

Luke, looks out the window. “It is morning.” Luke says. “We better get to work.” 

Annabeth, nods. “Yeah…,” Annabeth says. “The sooner we decorate and organize the place, the sooner it will feel like a home.” 

Thalia, looks at the floor, thinking about Luke’s words. Luke, goes over to the children’s bags and takes out three apples. Luke, hands an apple to Annabeth. Luke, holds one out to Thalia. Thalia, looks up and sees the apple. Thalia, closes her eyes and turns her head. Thalia, lays back down on her futon. 

“I am not hungry right now.” Thalia says. “I’d rather just lay here for a little bit longer.” 

Luke, retracts his hand. Luke, then shrugs. 

“Suit yourself.” Luke says as he walks over to the counter. Luke, sets the apple down on the counter. “Your apple is right here when you get hungry.” 

Thalia, does not respond. She just lays on her futon. Thalia, then closes her eyes. 

_ Connected…, _ Thalia thinks.  _ Luke is right. If my dream is real, then that guy Itachi, must be connected to me in some way. But...what is the connection? _

***********************************

Itachi, takes a deep breath as he finishes telling Kisame about his dreams. Kisame, sits on a nearby fallen log. Kisame’s eyes are wide. 

“Then…,” Itachi says. “You woke me up and we fought those hunter nin.” 

Kisame, grins. “Itachi, I never thought of you having sex with girls.” Kisame says. “You are really a sly dog.” 

Kisame, then lets out a laugh. “And just think…,” Kisame says. “You could actually be a daddy. There may actually be a mini you running around somewhere.” 

Itachi, glares at Kisame. “I would prefer that not be the case.” Itachi says with a monotone voice. 

Kisame, frowns. “What is wrong with being a daddy?” Kisame asks.

Itachi, does not respond. Itachi, simply looks at the ground. Kisame, grumbles. 

“Come on, it’s not like you have to take responsibility or anything.” Kisame says. “As long as you don’t actually claim any of the little brats that you father, everything will be fine.” 

Itachi, looks at Kisame with a frown. “That is not why I don’t want to be a father.” Itachi says. “I just don’t want to be a father.” 

Kisame, frowns again. “Why not?” Kisame asks. Suddenly, Kisame’s eyes widen. 

“Oh, I get it.” Kisame says. “You killed your  _ entire _ clan. You don’t want to be a father because that means you will not be the  _ last _ Uchiha anymore. You want to be the last Uchiha so that you go down in history as the last Uchiha. The one who destroyed his own bloodline.” 

Itachi, closes his eyes. He then gets up from the log that he is sitting on. “We are done talking.” Itachi says. “I am going to take a little walk.” 

Kisame, blinks a few times. “Suit yourself.” Kisame says. He stands up. “I am going to look for something to eat.” 

Itachi, picks up his cloak, checking to see if it dry yet. The cloak is dry. The thing with Akatsuki cloaks is that they do dry quickly. Itachi, puts his cloak on and starts walking away. As Itachi walks, he thinks about his dreams and of what Kisame said.  

_ I am not the last Uchiha…, _ Itachi thinks to himself.  _ There is me and Sasuke...and Madara. It is not my place to rebuild the Uchiha clan. It is Sasuke’s duty. Once he kills me of course. If I end up fathering children, then my whole plan will be ruined. _

Itachi, stops walking and looks up at the sky. If Itachi ended up fathering children, then Sasuke would no longer be the last Uchiha after he kills Itachi. This would leave Sasuke not being the only one with the ability to revive the Uchiha clan. This is not what Itachi wants. 

Itachi, shakes his head. Maybe he should just try and forget about his dreams. It’s not like there is any truth to Sakiko, being pregnant in Itachi’s dreams. 

***************************************

Thalia, steps outside the motel. Luke and Annabeth, follow her. Theia, follows right at Annabeth’s heels. 

“Alright.” Luke says. “We just put all of the food away into the pantry. Now we need to organize and decorate the place. We need to gather stuff we want.” 

Annabeth, smiles widely. She jumps up and down. “I am going to gather toys!” Annabeth says. “I am going to make myself a toy room!” 

Luke, smiles. “You go do that Annabeth.” Luke says. “I am going to scout the area. I am going to see what else is around. We need to have areas of fresh water nearby, so that we can catch fish. Perhaps if we can figure out how to hunt, we can have meat as well. It would be helpful if we knew what kind of animals were around.” 

Thalia and Annabeth, look at one another. They both know that Luke is right. “You are right Luke.” Thalia says. “We need to find sources of meat.” 

Luke, smiles. “Ok.” Luke says. “I am going to scout the area for water and see what kind of animals are around. Annabeth, is going to make herself a toy room.” 

Luke, then looks at Thalia. “What are you going to do Thalia?” Luke asks. 

Thalia, looks around. “I guess I will go see if I can find anything that we may need or want.” 

“Alright, I will see you girls later.” Luke says as he walks away. 

Annabeth, looks at Thalia. “I am going to start towards the beginning of the town and make my way through it.” Annabeth says. 

Thalia, nods. “I suppose that is what I should do as well.” Thalia says.

Thalia and Annabeth, start towards the town entrance. Theia, follows obediently at their heels. 


	14. Planning and scheming

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoiler: This chapter does contain one curse word, curtesy of Kisame. You shall see why once you get to that part. This is why the story is rated teen and up.

Thalia, looks at the shelf in front of her. Books line the shelf. Thalia, takes a book and opens it up. She frowns instantly. The writing is a strange language.  ****  
** **

_ Of course…, _ Thalia thinks to herself.  _ This is a different world. Of course the writing is different. _ ****  
** **

Thalia, puts the book back. No sense in gathering books if her, Annabeth, nor Luke can read them. All of the sudden, Annabeth, comes into the room. Theia, follows right at Annabeth’s heels. Annabeth, has a wide smile on her face. Annabeth, holds up a book.  ****  
** **

Thalia, frowns. “I know that there are books here.” Thalia says. “But...they are in a different language. We can’t read them.”  ****  
** **

Annabeth, grins and opens up the book. The book is full of pictures. ****  
** **

“This is a picture book.” Annabeth says.  ****  
** **

Thalia’s eyes widen. “Oh.” Thalia says. Thalia, gets up and comes to look at the book.  ****  
** **

“These pictures are really interesting.” Thalia admits. “Are there more?”  ****  
** **

“Oh yes!” Annabeth says with a wide smile. “I found it in a room across the hall.” ****  
** **

Annabeth, shows Thalia the way to the room. Thalia, peeks inside. Inside the room, are double doors that look like they lead to a closet. Wall shelves line the bottom half of the wall opposite the doors. Books and toys line the shelves. A basket full of stuffed animals, sits in a corner.  ****  
** **

“This was probably a kids room.” Thalia says. “Picture books are intended for kids.”  ****  
** **

Thalia, looks back at Annabeth. “However…,” Thalia says. “Looking at picture books will give us something to do in our spare time.”  ****  
** **

Annabeth, nods. “That’s exactly what I thought.” Annabeth says. “We can create a library full of picture books!”  ****  
** **

Thalia, grins. “Yes we can.” Thalia says. “Maybe we can find some games to play. Like dominos or something.”  ****  
** **

Annabeth, grins. “Oh yes!” Annabeth says. “We can make a game room!”  ****  
** **

“A game room does sound nice.” Thalia says.  ****  
** **

Annabeth, then decides to look in the closets. The closet is full of clothes. The clothes look to be kid sized. Annabeth, smiles.  ****  
** **

“Hurray, clothes!” Annabeth says. Annabeth, turns to Thalia.  ****  
** **

“I am going to try these clothes on to see if any fit.” Annabeth says.  ****  
** **

“Alright then, I’ll see you later.” Thalia says. Thalia, walks down the hallway, ready to explore the rest of the house and town.  ****  
** **

************************************* ****  
** **

Luke, looks out from behind a tree. The town before him bustles with activity.  ****  
** **

_ Hmm…, _ Luke thinks to himself.  _ This place looks interesting. _ ****  
** **

Luke, watches as a woman walks out of a building. The woman carries a basket with a loaf of bread sticking out of it. Luke’s eyes widen.  ****  
** **

_ Bread! _ Luke thinks.  _ That building must be a bakery. _ ****  
** **

Luke, closes his eyes to think for a minute. The children have many jars of fruit preserves back at their new home. However, there is nothing to really put the preserves on. Bread would work but there is no bread to be found back at the children’s home. Luke, Thalia and Annabeth, don’t even know how to make bread so that is out of the question.  ****  
** **

_ If we are going to eat those fruit preserves, then we need to steal some bread. _ Luke thinks to himself.  _ I wonder if there is a way to sneak into those shops without being noticed. _ ****  
** **

Luke, carefully makes his way through the trees. He will examine every aspect of the buildings. If he can find a weak spot, then the children shall have bread and who knows what else.  ****  
** **

************************************ ****  
** **

Thalia, carefully examines the wooden crate in front of her.  ****  
** **

_ This crate should work perfectly, _ Thalia thinks to herself.  ****  
** **

Thalia, starts grabbing items and putting them into the crate. Thalia, then picks up the crate and carries it out of the room. Thalia, carries the crate out of the building and down the street. Once Thalia arrives back at the motel, she sets the crate inside the kitchen. Thalia, begins unloading her cargo from the crate. Thalia, takes out a blender. Just then, Annabeth, walks into the kitchen. Theia, follows at Annabeth’s heels.  ****  
** **

“I just finished my toy room!” Annabeth says with a smile. “Wanna come see it?”  ****  
** **

“Sure, in just a minute.” Thalia says. “I need to unload this crate.”  ****  
** **

Annabeth, looks at Thalia’s finds. “Cool, a blender.” Annabeth says. “We can make smoothies and all kinds of things.”  ****  
** **

Thalia, then takes out a piece of equipment with a handle. “I have no idea what this is.” Thalia says. “Any ideas Annabeth?”  ****  
** **

Annabeth, looks at the piece of equipment. “It looks like a grain grinder.” Annabeth says.  ****  
** **

Thalia’s eyes widen. “A grain grinder?!” Thalia asks.  ****  
** **

Annabeth, nods. Thalia, grins. “Cool!” Thalia says. “Now we can make our own flour.” ****  
** **

Thalia, then pulls out a jar full of a white substance. “I have no idea what this is either.” Thalia says. “However, it smells like mint. My guess is that it is toothpaste.”  ****  
** **

Annabeth, smells the substance. “Yeah, it does smell minty.” Annabeth says.  ****  
** **

Thalia, then pulls out some clean, new looking toothbrushes. “I came across a building that looked like a store.” Thalia says. “I got us some toothbrushes.”  ****  
** **

“Good idea.” Annabeth says. “We will need new toothbrushes very soon. The ones we have in our bags are getting old and yucky.”  ****  
** **

“My thoughts exactly.” Thalia says.  ****  
** **

Thalia, then looks towards the stairs. “I have an idea.” Thalia says. “Why don’t we gather extras of stuff, such as unused toothbrushes and put them all in a room. We can have a supply room.”  ****  
** **

“That’s a great idea!” Annabeth says.  ****  
** **

Thalia, then unloads the last thing from the crate. It is a large wooden bowl. ****  
** **

“This was sitting on a counter in one of the houses.” Thalia says. “I thought that we could put fruit in it.”  ****  
** **

Annabeth, smiles. “A fruit bowl!” Annabeth says. “Cool!”  ****  
** **

Annabeth, looks at the crate. “You have emptied the crate.” Annabeth says. “Wanna see my toy room now?”  ****  
** **

Thalia, smiles. “Sure.” Thalia says.  ****  
** **

Thalia and Annabeth, walk up the stairs and towards a room on the left. The room is full of toys. Three baskets full of stuffed animals line a wall. Two baskets full of wooden blocks, line another wall. Two baskets full of little animal figurines, line another wall.  ****  
** **

“What do you think?” Annabeth asks with anticipation.  ****  
** **

“I like it.” Thalia says. “Very well organized.”  ****  
** **

Suddenly, Luke, walks into the room. “I wondered where you girls were at.” Luke says. “I just discovered something. We have neighbors.”  ****  
** **

Thalia and Annabeth, look at one another. “Neighbors?” Thalia asks.  ****  
** **

Luke, nods. “Remember those apple trees we found?” Luke asks. “Well, I just figured out that those trees actually belong to an orchard. There is a big town next to the orchard.”  ****  
** **

Thalia and Annabeth, look at one another. “A town?” Thalia asks.  ****  
** **

Luke, nods. “I was just thinking,” Luke says. “We have no bread to use with our fruit preserves.”  ****  
** **

Annabeth’s eyes then widen. “Now that you mention that, I just thought of something.” Annabeth says. “We have no milk or dairy products either. We don’t even have cows to produce milk for us.”  ****  
** **

Luke, nods. “That is right.” Luke says. “That means if we want bread and milk, we will have to  _ steal _ some. I have an idea on how to do that.”  ****  
** **

Luke, grins. “I examined the buildings in the town up and down.” Luke says. “There are buildings that look like stores and shops. All of them have back doors. My plan is to return at night and pick the locks while everyone in the town is asleep. We can grab what we need and then slip back out without being noticed.”  ****  
** **

Thalia and Annabeth, look at one another again. “I suppose that could work.” Thalia says. “But what is the plan in case we get caught?”  ****  
** **

Luke, frowns. “Well, the only thing we can do in that scenario is to run.” Luke says. “And hope that the town’s residents don’t catch us.”  ****  
** **

Thalia, looks around. “Well, I suppose that we should keep on working until it gets dark.” Thalia says. “Once it gets dark, we can go try to get us some bread and milk.”  ****  
** **

All of the sudden, Annabeth’s stomach growls. Luke’s stomach growls seconds later. Then, Thalia’s stomach growls. The three demigods frown in unison.  ****  
** **

“I am hungry.” Annabeth says. “Why don’t we go see what we can make for lunch?”  ****  
** **

Thalia and Luke, grin. “A hot lunch, that sounds great Annabeth.” Luke says.  ****  
** **

************************************* ****  
** **

Sasuke, helps to unload a cart of freshly picked apples. Kakashi, Sakura, and Naruto are also unloading carts.  ****  
** **

“All of you are doing a great job.” Hajimu calls out. “We shall have lots of apples to sell this year. I can’t thank you Leaf nins enough for your help.”  ****  
** **

Kakashi, simply smiles at Hajimu. “It’s what you hired us to do.” Kakashi says.  ****  
** **

Suddenly, a man runs up to Hajimu. The man’s eyes are wide.  ****  
** **

“Lord Hajimu…,” The man says. “You and the leaf nins need to see this.”  ****  
** **

“What is it?” Hajimu asks.  ****  
** **

“There are more of those strange footprints in the forest surrounding the village!” The man says.  ****  
** **

Hajimu, looks at Kakashi. Kakashi nods and motions for his students to follow. Hajimu, and the four leaf shinobi, head towards the forest.  ****  
** **

Five minutes later, the group arrives behind a cluster of trees. Strange shoe prints, litter the ground behind the tree. Kakashi, looks at his students. The shoe prints are very similar to a set that was discovered in the apple orchard.  ****  
** **

“I only see one set of shoe prints.” Kakashi says. “That tells me it was just one person.”  ****  
** **

Sakura, looks down and starts trying to figure out where the shoe prints go. “Do you think we should follow them?” Sakura asks.  ****  
** **

Kakashi, looks towards the left. “Let’s go that way.” Kakashi says. “Maybe we will find whoever made these shoe impressions.”  ****  
** **

*************************************** ****  
** **

Luke, dips the net into the water. Annabeth, waits on the shoreline. Theia, lays in the sunshine nearby. Luke and Annabeth, found some fishing net in one of the houses. They are going to catch fish for their lunch. The children are planning to make a big pot of fish soup to have for lunch and dinner tonight. Thalia, is back at the motel, cleaning and chopping vegetables that the children dug up.  ****  
** **

Luke, scoops up a fish and dumps it onto the shore. Annabeth, quickly renders the fish unconscious with a blow from a rock. Then, Annabeth, slits the gills and lets the blood drain out into the water.  ****  
** **

“Ok…,” Luke says. “That’s one fish. We need at least a few to make a good pot of soup.”  ****  
** **

Luke, immediately dips the net into the water again. Two fish end up swimming into the net. Luke, raises the net quickly and dumps the fish onto shore.  ****  
** **

“Cool!” Luke says with a grin. “I got two fish at one time!”  ****  
** **

Annabeth, quickly renders both fish unconscious. Then, Annabeth slits the gills of both fish and begins rinsing one in the water. Luke, puts the net down to help Annabeth.  ****  
** **

“Ok, we have three fish.” Luke says. “There are three of us plus Theia. We need to have enough flesh leftover after I fillet and skin the fish in order to make a nice big pot of soup.”  ****  
** **

“Then I say we should catch at least six fish.” Annabeth says. “The fish look nice and fat. We should have enough meat from six fish.”  ****  
** **

“Alright then.” Luke says. “Three more fish coming up.”  ****  
** **

Luke, sets down the fish he is rinsing on the shore. Luke, then picks up the net again and resumes fishing.  ****  
** **

************************************** ****  
** **

Kakashi, sighs as he realizes that he and his team are going in circles. Sakura, looks around.  ****  
** **

“I feel like this place is familiar.” Sakura says.  ****  
** **

“That’s because we are going in circles.” Kakashi states.  ****  
** **

Naruto, grumbles and looks back down at the shoe impressions. “These weird shoe prints keep going in circles.” Naruto says.  ****  
** **

Sasuke, narrows his eyes as he looks at the shoe prints. “It looks as if the person who made these shoe impressions was going around in circles.” Sasuke says. “It almost seems like he or she was sizing the village up.”  ****  
** **

Kakashi, sighs. “I think you may be right Sasuke.” Kakashi says. “That means he or she must be planning on returning soon.”  ****  
** **

Kakashi, sighs again.  _ This mission just got more complicated…, _ Kakashi thinks to himself.  ****  
** **

*************************************** ****  
** **

Thalia, slices up some peeled potatoes on a wooden cutting board. Nearby, a bowl of  chopped celery, carrots, green beans, and kale sits on the counter. On the stove, a little bit of chopped celery and carrots are simmering in a large pot. The group also found some onions, but Annabeth told Thalia and Luke that onions in large amounts can be toxic to dogs. So the group decided to leave onions out of the soup. Thalia, then seasoned the veggies with some olive oil, salt and some black pepper. Annabeth, also found some parsley growing in an herb patch. The parsley is all chopped and ready in a small glass dish.  ****  
** **

Thalia, sighs.  _ Who knew cooking could be such a chore?  _ Thalia thinks to herself. _However, it will be worth it in the end when we finally have a nice pot of hot soup._ ****  
** **

Thalia, finally chops the last potato and puts the chunks into the bowl. Thalia, then goes over to the sink to wash her hands. Thalia, dries her hands on a towel.  ****  
** **

_ I wonder what else we could put in the pot besides fish and vegetables. _ Thalia thinks to herself.  ****  
** **

Thalia, heads over to the pantry and looks at a jar of wild rice.  _ This wild rice may be a good addition. _ Thalia thinks.  _ I will ask Luke and Annabeth when they return. _ ****  
** **

Thalia, sets the jar on the counter. Thalia, then grabs a wooden spoon and stirs the simmering veggies in the pot. Just then, Annabeth and Luke, walk into the kitchen. Theia, follows at their heels. Luke, carries a bucket full of fish.  ****  
** **

“We got six fish.” Luke says. “Once I filet and skin them, there should be enough meat for a nice big pot of soup.”  ****  
** **

Luke, grabs a fish from the bucket. Luke, looks at Thalia.  ****  
** **

“Go grab another bucket.” Luke says. “I will put the skin and heads into it.”  ****  
** **

Thalia, quickly fetches another bucket. Luke, starts descaling the fish by running the back of a knife over the fish.  ****  
** **

“This is how I remember my grandpa doing it.” Luke says. “First he descaled the fish. Then, he gutted and cleaned the fish. After that he removed the head, removed the fins and tail, skinned, and fileted the fish. Then, he removed the bones using special tweezers.”  ****  
** **

Thalia, holds up three pairs of shiny metal tweezers. “I remember you saying that earlier.” Thalia says. “I found these in the building that looks like a store. They look clean and new.”   ****  
** **

“Those will work just fine.” Luke says. “I figured that I all of us could take a fish and descale them. That will speed things up.”  ****  
** **

Thalia and Annabeth nod. They take some knives from a drawer and begin descaling fish. Within ten minutes, all of the fish have been descaled.  ****  
** **

“Alright.” Luke says. “I figured that I could gut the fish. Then, Thalia can chop off the heads, tails and fins. Once that is done, I can filet each fish. Then, all three of us will remove the bones.”  ****  
** **

Luke, looks at Annabeth. “Hey Annabeth,” Luke says. “I was just wondering, I remember seeing a patch of blueberry bushes nearby. Can you go pick us some? We can have them as a little ‘dessert’ after our soup.”  ****  
** **

Annabeth, smiles widely. “Blueberries for dessert!” Annabeth says. “Yum!”  ****  
** **

Thalia, looks at Annabeth’s hands. Annabeth;s hands are covered with fish scales. “You might want to wash your hands before you go picking blueberries.” Thalia says.  ****  
** **

Annabeth, looks at her hands. “You’re probably right Thalia.” Annabeth says.  ****  
** **

Annabeth, makes her way towards the sink and begins washing her hands. Once she is done, Annabeth, dries her hands on a towel. Thalia, points towards the pantry.  ****  
** **

“There is another clean bucket in the pantry.” Thalia says. “You can put the blueberries in there.”  ****  
** **

“Ok!” Annabeth says. Annabeth, runs over to the pantry and grabs the bucket. Thalia, looks at the jar of wild rice on the counter.  ****  
** **

“Oh, I was going to ask you guys about putting wild rice into the soup.” Thalia says.  ****  
** **

Luke, looks at the wild rice. “Probably wouldn’t hurt.” Luke says. “Rice would definitely make the soup more filling.”  ****  
** **

Annabeth, smiles. “Rice!” Annabeth says. “Rice sounds terrific!”  ****  
** **

“Alright then.” Luke says. “We shall have fish soup with vegetables and wild rice.”  ****  
** **

Annabeth, licks her lips. “Sounds super yummy.” Annabeth says. “I can’t wait until it’s ready.”  ****  
** **

Annabeth, leaves the kitchen with Theia following at her heels. Thalia, looks at Luke.  ****  
** **

“Come on, let’s hurry up and get these fish ready.” Thalia says. “I am absolutely starving.”  ****  
** **

********************************************* ****  
** **

Itachi, walks beside Kisame. Kisame, carries a scroll in his hand.  ****  
** **

“We got the scroll that Leader wanted us to get.” Kisame says as he puts the scroll into a bag.  ****  
** **

Kisame, looks at Itachi. “What’s our next assignment?” Kisame asks.  ****  
** **

Itachi, takes out a list and reads it. “We are all done with the assignments on this list.” Itachi says. “We will have to wait for Leader to give us another list.”  ****  
** **

Kisame, grumbles. “What should we do until then?” Kisame asks. “I don’t want to be walking around forever.”  ****  
** **

Kisame, looks to the left and spots a cabin. Kisame, grins.  ****  
** **

“Will you look at that.” Kisame says. “We found the cabin that we use to sleep in sometimes while on missions. Let’s stay here tonight. I am tired of sleeping on the ground.”  ****  
** **

Itachi, just blinks a few times. “Fine with me.” Itachi says.  ****  
** **

Kisame, grins as he opens the door. However, Kisame’s grin turns into a look of disgust as a horrible smell slowly makes its way out of the opened door.  ****  
** **

“Oh great Kami, it smells like something died in there!” Kisame says with a face full of disgust.  ****  
** **

Itachi, frowns as the smell makes its way to him. Itachi, enters the cabin. The wood that him and Kisame placed by the hearth the last time they were here, is gone. The hearth is full of ashes.  ****  
** **

“Someone’s been here.” Itachi says with a matter of fact voice. “The wood that we placed by the hearth is gone. The hearth is full of ashes. Someone made a fire recently.”  ****  
** **

Itachi, looks over to the far left corner and immediately sees where the smell is coming from.  ****  
** **

“I found the source of the smell.” Itachi says. “The person who slept here had a dog. It looks as if the dog had an accident.”  ****  
** **

Kisame, enters the cabin and his eyes widen immediately. “It’s dog shit!” Kisame says.  ****  
** **

“Yes…,” Itachi says. “Yes it is.”  ****  
** **

Kisame, gags and backs away. “I am not sleeping here!” Kisame says. “Come on, let’s go.”  ****  
** **

Itachi, turns to leave when he notices something on the floor. It looks like fur. Itachi, picks up a tuft of the fine white hairs. The hairs are pure white, obviously from an animal. Itachi’s thoughts turn to the three strange children and their dog. That dog had pure white fur. This tuft of hair is pure white.  ****  
** **

_ I wonder…, _ Itachi thinks to himself.  _ Could those children have been the ones who slept here? _ ****  
** **

*************************************** ****  
** **

Thalia, stirs the now bubbling soup. The soup has been simmering for a little while. Luke and Annabeth, sit at the table. On the floor beside the table, Theia, chews on a red rubber ball.  ****  
** **

Luke and Annabeth, are sorting out all of the berries that Annabeth picked. There are blueberries. There are strawberries. There are raspberries and blackberries. It is berries galore.  ****  
** **

“We can make a mixed berry salad for dessert!” Annabeth says.  ****  
** **

Luke, smiles. “Yes, yes we can.” Luke says.  ****  
** **

Luke, grabs the bowl full of good berries. He then walks over to the pantry and grabs the honey. Luke, then pours some honey onto the berries and stirs using a wooden spoon. Luke, then puts the bowl into the fridge. Annabeth, licks her lips.  ****  
** **

“Berries and honey!” Annabeth says. “I love berries and honey.”  ****  
** **

Thalia, walks over to a cabinet and grabs four bowls. “I think the soup is ready.” Thalia says.  ****  
** **

“Good, I’m starving.” Luke says.  ****  
** **

Thalia, dishes up four bowls of soup. Thalia, carries two bowls over to the table. Thalia, sets a bowl in front of Luke. Thalia, sets the other bowl in front of Annabeth. Thalia, returns to the counter and grabs her bowl. Thalia, sets the bowl on the table.  ****  
** **

“I figured that we should wait for Theia’s bowl to cool down some before we give it to her.” Thalia says.  ****  
** **

“Yeah, she might burn her mouth.” Luke says.  ****  
** **

Luke, picks up a spoon and scoops up some soup. Luke, blows gently on the soup before putting the spoon in his mouth. Luke’s eyes widen as he removes the spoon from his mouth. Luke, chews and swallows.  ****  
** **

“I haven’t tasted anything so good and hot in such a long time.” Luke says. He quickly eats another bite. “So good.”  ****  
** **

“Yeah…,” Annabeth says as she eats. “This is the best meal I have had in a long time.” ****  
** **

Thalia, tastes her bowl of soup. Her eyes widen instantly. “So good.” Thalia says. “I have never tasted anything so good in my entire life.”  ****  
** **

Luke and Annabeth, look at Thalia. “Really?” Luke asks. “What have you eaten your entire life?”  ****  
** **

Thalia, closes her eyes. Her mother wasn’t much of a cook. Thalia’s mother mostly ordered fast food and made prepared prepackaged meals. Anything that the woman tried to cook from scratch tasted horrible.  ****  
** **

“My mom wasn’t a very good cook.” Thalia says. “Everything that she tried to make from scratch ended up tasting horrible. My mother mostly prepared prepackaged meals like boxed mac and cheese and frozen chicken fingers. My mother also ordered fast food a lot. However, she did keep the house stocked with fresh fruits and vegetables. She liked to snack on those between meals.”  ****  
** **

Thalia, looks away for a minute. “However, she didn’t really eat much.” Thalia says. “I think that I already told you guys this, but...my mother was an alcoholic. There were nights that she was so drunk, she couldn’t cook supper. I had to fend for myself on those nights. I literally ate an entire bowl of fruit one night when I was four. Then, she got mad at me for it and locked me in a closet for the rest of the night.”  ****  
** **

Luke and Annabeth,both  frown. “Sheesh…,” Luke says. “That’s terrible.”  ****  
** **

Thalia, looks down at her soup. “I don’t like talking about my past.” Thalia says. “It’s just my life with that woman was not very pleasant.”  ****  
** **

Luke, puts a hand on Thalia’s shoulder. “It’s ok, we understand.” Luke says. “Annabeth and I have not had pleasant childhoods either. But, we found each other. We are a family now.”  ****  
** **

“Yeah.” Annabeth says. “We are family.”  ****  
** **

Thalia, manages a smile. “Yeah…,” Thalia says. “A family.”  ****  
** **

Annabeth, looks towards Theia’s bowl, which is still on the counter. “I think that Theia’s soup is cool enough now.” Annabeth says as she gets up.  ****  
** **

Annabeth, walks over to the counter and grabs the bowl. Annabeth, then walks over to Theia, and places the bowl of soup in front of the dog. Theia’s ears perk up and she stops chewing on the rubber ball. Theia, licks the liquid in the bowl. Within minutes, Theia, is gobbling the soup down.  ****  
** **

Annabeth, sits back down at the table and continues to eat her soup. Luke, looks at the living room.  ****  
** **

“Why don’t we take a nap after lunch?” Luke asks. “We are going to have to get up late to go sneak into that town.”  ****  
** **

“Good idea.” Thalia says. “Being tired would make it harder for the three of us to run away if things went wrong.”  ****  
** **

“Yeah.” Luke says. “My thoughts exactly.”  ****  
** **

**************************************** ****  
** **

The sun is beginning to set over the horizon. Inside the motel, Luke, Thalia, Annabeth and Theia are curled up on their futons.  ****  
** **

Luke, slowly opens his eyes. He looks towards the window, and sees the fading daylight outside.  ****  
** **

_ Time to wake up already huh…, _ Luke thinks to himself.  _ That was quick. _ ****  
** **

Luke, sits up and yawns. Luke, then gets up and heads over to wake up Thalia. Luke, shakes Thalia’s shoulder. Thalia’s eyes slowly flicker open.  ****  
** **

“Time to get up.” Luke says.  ****  
** **

“Alright.” Thalia says.  ****  
** **

Thalia, yawns and sits up on her own futon. Thalia, looks at Luke. “Guess what!” Thalia says. “I didn’t have any strange dreams during my nap!”  ****  
** **

“Really?” Luke asks. “Well, we weren’t asleep very long so that may be why. I didn’t dream either.”  ****  
** **

Luke, walks up to Annabeth’s futon and shakes her awake. Annabeth, opens her eyes.  ****  
** **

“Time to get up, Annie.” Luke says.  ****  
** **

“Ok…,” Annabeth says with a sleepy voice.  ****  
** **

Annabeth, sits up and yawns. Annabeth’s yawning wakes up Theia. Theia, yawns and stands up. Theia, walks over to a bowl of water and gets a drink.  ****  
** **

Luke, Thalia, and Annabeth quickly tidy their futons. Then, the three of them head over to the table. Luke, heads over to the fridge and takes out the pot half-way full of soup. Luke, sets the pot of soup on the stove. Luke, turns on the stove. Thalia, grabs a spoon and sets it on a plastic mat.  ****  
** **

“Now, we just have to wait for the soup to heat up.” Thalia says.  ****  
** **

“Yeah.” Luke says. “What should we do until then?”  ****  
** **

Annabeth, runs into a room. A few minutes later, she returns with a picture book.  ****  
** **

“Let’s look through one of these picture books.” Annabeth says.  ****  
** **

Thalia and Luke look at each other. They both shrug. It sounds like a good idea to them.  ****  
** **

************************************** ****  
** **

Kakashi, looks at the setting sun. Hajimu, leads the way into his house.  ****  
** **

“Reika, has dinner ready for us.” Hajimu says. “I sent some villagers out to guard the orchard until all of you are finished with your dinner.”  ****  
** **

Kakashi, bows respectfully. “Thank you.” Kakashi says. “We appreciate it very much.”  ****  
** **

Kakashi, looks at Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura. “After dinner Sasuke and Sakura shall guard the orchard.” Kakashi says. “Then, Sakura and I shall take a shift.”  ****  
** **

Sakura, smiles. Oh yeah! Sakura thinks to herself. I get to guard the orchard with Sasuke.  ****  
** **

Sasuke, sighs. “Understood.” Sasuke says.  ****  
** **

...a few hours later… ****  
** **

Sasuke, sighs as he patrols the orchard. Sakura, follows close behind. Sakura, crosses her arms.  ****  
** **

“I wonder if we will ever find out who made those weird shoe prints.” Sakura says. “I mean, he or she seems to be hanging around the village. Yet...they have not stolen anymore apples.”  ****  
** **

Sasuke, examines the surrounding forest. “The fact that the shoe impressions have been found going in circles around the perimeter of the village, does say that the person plans on returning.” Sasuke says.  ****  
** **

Sakura, sits on a nearby rock. “I wonder…,” Sakura says. “That set of shoe impressions that circled the perimeter of the village. You said that he or she may have been sizing the village up.”  ****  
** **

Sakura, looks at the ground around her. “We have not come across any more strange shoe prints in the orchards.” Sakura says.  ****  
** **

“Yeah, that is a good point.” Sasuke says.  ****  
** **

Sakura, looks in the direction of the village. “What if…,” Sakura says. “The thieves who stole the apples are planning to return for not apples but other things?”  ****  
** **

Sasuke, looks at Sakura. Sasuke, gets exactly what Sakura is saying. What if the apple thieves are planning on targeting the villages other resources? ****  
** **

“That is a good point.” Sasuke says. “We should probably mention that to Kakashi, once our shift ends.”  ****  
** **

***************************************** ****  
** **

Luke, Thalia, and Annabeth, peer through the trees at the sleepy looking town. Theia, sits obediently beside Annabeth.  ****  
** **

Thalia looks at Luke. “The residents still look as though they are still awake.” Thalia says. “What should we do?”  ****  
** **

Luke, sits down. “We will have to wait.” Luke says. “The people will have to go to bed eventually. Once that time comes, we shall sneak in and steal what we need.”  ****  
** **

“How do you want to do it again?” Annabeth asks. She sits down beside Luke. Thalia, sits across from Luke. The three children have formed a small circle.  ****  
** **

Luke, looks at the town. “There are doors in the back of the buildings.” Luke says. “All I have to do is pick the locks and we will be able to enter no problem.”  ****  
** **

Luke, takes a screwdriver out of his bag. “I can’t imagine this screwdriver not working on those locks.” Luke says. “This screwdriver has never failed me.”  ****  
** **

Thalia, glances nervously at the town. “What is the plan if we get caught in the act?” Thalia asks.  ****  
** **

“Run.” Luke says. “It’s all we can do.”  ****  
** **

Luke, glances at the town. “However, as long as we are quiet and don’t take too long, we should be able to get away without being noticed.” Luke says. “Besides, I am the son of Hermes, god of thieves. Thievery, is one of my specialties.”


	15. Getting shocked is no fun

Thalia, Luke, and Annabeth, watch as the last light in the town fades. The town is dark and silent. Luke, looks at Thalia and Annabeth.  ****  
** **

“Alright girls.” Luke says. “It is time. Let’s go.”  ****  
** **

Thalia and Annabeth, look at each other. They still have doubts about the plan.  ****  
** **

Luke, leads the way out of the forest and towards a building with a back door. Luke, puts a finger to his lips and points towards the upper levels of the building.  ****  
** **

“I think that people live in the upper levels of these buildings.” Luke whispers. “Which means we will have to be very quiet. Don’t want to wake the people up.”  ****  
** **

“Yeah.” Thalia whispers. “That would be bad.  _ Very _ bad.”  ****  
** **

Luke, sticks the screwdriver into the lock and starts trying to unlatch the lock. The lock clicks. Luke, slowly opens the door. Luke, grins.  ****  
** **

“I told you girls this screwdriver never failed me.” Luke whispers.  ****  
** **

Luke, Thalia, and Annabeth slowly enter the building. Theia, follows silently at Annabeth’s heels. A short hallway leads into a large room. A door sits on one side of the hallway. A flight of stairs sits opposite the door. Luke, Thalia, and Annabeth quickly grab flashlights from their bags.  ****  
** **

Luke, Thalia, and Annabeth, turn on their flashlights and enter the large room. Windows, look out into the street. Shelves full of goods line the walls. Luke, examines some shelves on the left side of the building. Loaves of bread are stacked inside a compartment, that is covered with a plastic door. Baked goods sit in similar compartments. Luke, opens up the bread compartment and motions for Annabeth and Thalia, to come over.  ****  
** **

“This place looks like a bakery.” Luke whispers. “Let’s grab six loaves of bread and some baked goods.”  ****  
** **

Luke, chucks six loaves of bread into his cloth sack. The children decided to use their cloth sacks for more delicate items like baked goods. Thalia, heads over to a compartment with cookies. Thalia, grabs a box sitting nearby and fills the box with cookies. Annabeth, goes over to a compartment with little mini cakes and starts to fill a box with the little cakes. Annabeth and Thalia, carefully put their boxes of baked goods into their cloth sacks. Theia, sits on the floor nearby. The dog watches with curious eyes.  ****  
** **

Annabeth, Thalia, and Luke continue to gather baked goods until their cloth sacks are filled.  ****  
** **

Luke, goes over to Thalia. “I don’t see any milk or dairy products in here.” Luke says. “We’ll have to break into another building.”  ****  
** **

“Yeah.” Thalia says.  ****  
** **

Luke motions for Annabeth and Thalia to follow him. The group makes their way towards the back door. Theia, follows at their heels. Luke, opens the door silently, letting Thalia, Annabeth, and Theia out first. Luke, then slips out and closes the door behind him. Luke, grins and looks at his companions.  ****  
** **

“We did it.” Luke whispers. “We slipped in and out without being noticed.”  ****  
** **

Thalia, slowly starts to feel more confident. Maybe this plan will work after all.  ****  
** **

Luke, leads the way to another building. Luke, unlatches the lock with his screwdriver. The children silently slip inside. They look around. It is a candy store.  ****  
** **

Annabeth, licks her lips. “Candy.” Annabeth says, trying not to be too loud.  ****  
** **

Luke, leads the way towards some boxes filled with different varieties of hard colorful candy. Luke, sees paper bags sitting next to the boxes. Luke, grabs a bag and starts filling it with candy. Once the bag is full, Luke grabs another bag and moves onto another box.  ****  
** **

Nearby, Thalia and Annabeth, grab some chocolate bars and other varieties of candy. Luke, walks up to them.  ****  
** **

“I don’t see milk in here either.” Luke whispers. “We’ll have to break into another building.”  ****  
** **

Thalia, Annabeth, and Theia follow Luke silently out the backdoor. Luke, silently closes the door behind them. Luke, opens his cloth sack.  ****  
** **

“The bread, baked goods and candy are lighter.” Luke says. “We should let Annabeth carry them.”  ****  
** **

“Good thinking.” Thalia says.  ****  
** **

Thalia, opens up her sack and takes out the boxes of baked goods and sacks of candy that she has. Luke, takes the loaves of bread and sacks of candy out of his bag. Thalia, places all of the boxes of baked goods into Annabeth’s backpack. Luke, places all of the candy and loaves of bread into Annabeth’s cloth sack. Both of Annabeth’s bags are now full.  ****  
** **

Luke, then leads his companions to another building. Luke, picks the lock and unlocks the door. Inside, shelves are stocked with lots of goods. Big refrigerators with see through doors, line a wall. The building looks like a general store.  ****  
** **

Luke, looks inside one of the refrigerators. Luke grins. “Yes!” Luke says barely above a whisper. “Milk.”  ****  
** **

Luke, Thalia, and Annabeth each choose a refrigerator to raid. Luke, chooses the refrigerator with cartons of milk. Luke, grabs six cartons of milk.  ****  
** **

_ Six should be enough…, _ Luke thinks to himself as he sets the cartons down at his feet.   ****  
** **

Luke, moves onto another shelf. He sees cans that look like they could contain whipped cream. Luke, begins, chucking cans of whipped cream into his bag.  ****  
** **

_ Milk...whipped cream…, _ Luke thinks as he takes stock of his loot.  ****  
** **

Thalia and Annabeth, holds out various food items for Luke to see.  ****  
** **

Thalia, opens up a box with sticks of a hard yellowish substance. Thalia, wraps one of the sticks and sniffs the substance. “Butter.” Thalia whispers as she wraps the stick back up.  ****  
** **

Annabeth, examines a plastic container. “This look like tofu.” Annabeth whispers. “The soft kind can be used in smoothies to add protein and creaminess.”  ****  
** **

Thalia, grabs five more boxes of butter. Annabeth, grabs four containers of tofu.  ****  
** **

Luke, and Thalia then begin dividing the milk, butter, and tofu between them. Annabeth’s bag is full. It is up to Luke and Thalia, to carry the heavier stuff. Luke and Thalia, need to make sure that the weight that each of them is carrying is not too much for their bodies to handle. Otherwise, if they had to run, they might get caught.  ****  
** **

Luke, moves onto the shelves and looks at what is available. On one shelf, there are bags with images of potato chips on them.  ****  
** **

_ Potato chips! _ Luke thinks as he grabs a few bags of potato chips. Luke, stuffs the bags of potato chips into his cloth sack.  ****  
** **

Nearby, Annabeth and Thalia, are also raiding shelves. They are grabbing anything that looks delicious.  ****  
** **

“Our bags are pretty full.” Thalia whispers to Luke. “Let’s go.”  ****  
** **

Luke, leads the group out of the building. Luke, looks at another building with a backdoor. Luke, leads the group to the door ****  
** **

“Come on.” Luke whispers. “We still have a little room in our bags. Let’s just go into one more building.”  ****  
** **

Thalia, blinks a few times. She is slightly unsure about this. Luke, picks the lock on the door. The lock clicks and Luke, manages to open the door. However, a blaring noise startles the group. Above the now open door, is a flashing light. This door...has an alarm. A very  _ loud _ alarm. ****  
** **

Thalia and Annabeth both gasp as lights start turning on in the buildings. Luke, looks at his companions with wide eyes.  ****  
** **

“Run!” Luke says.  ****  
** **

Thalia, Annabeth, and Luke take off running as fast as their legs will carry them. Theia, runs right behind Annabeth.  ****  
** **

****************************************** ****  
** **

Kakashi, stirs in his sleep. His eyes slowly open. He looks around. Naruto, is snoring on his futon nearby.  ****  
** **

_ What is this feeling? _ Kakashi, thinks to himself.  _ Something feels wrong. But...I can’t put my finger on it. _ ****  
** **

Kakashi, gets up from his futon. He feels like he should get up. Kakashi, makes his way towards hooks on the wall and puts on his vest. Kakashi, looks up at the clock. It is 12:00 am. Almost time for him and Sasuke to change shifts.  ****  
** **

Kakashi, then walks over to the door and puts on his sandals. Kakashi, steps outside and looks around. All of the sudden, Naruto, follows behind him.  ****  
** **

“Kakashi Sensei…,” Naruto says with a sleepy voice. “Is it time for you to take your shift?”  ****  
** **

Kakashi, looks around. “Not quite.” Kakashi says. “It’s just...I couldn’t sleep. Something feels off.”  ****  
** **

Kakashi, looks towards the apple orchards where Sasuke and Sakura, are still guarding the apples.  ****  
** **

“I am going to go check on Sasuke and Sakura.” Kakashi says. “Stay here.”  ****  
** **

However, just as Kakashi is about to start walking towards the forest, a loud screeching sound blares out in the night. Naruto, covers his ears. Kakashi, turns towards the sound. Sasuke and Sakura, come running out of the orchard.  ****  
** **

“What is that horrible sound?!” Sakura asks with alarm.  ****  
** **

“That’s an alarm young lady!” Hajimu says as he rushes out of the house. Reika, follows right behind him. “That alarm is coming from the Ikeda’s general store. It means that someone has broken into it!”  ****  
** **

Kakashi’s eyes widen. He looks at Sasuke and Sakura. Their eyes are wide. Naruto, grins and rushes down the street. Kakashi, Sakura, Sasuke, Reika, and Hajimu run after him.  ****  
** **

Outside the general store in question, a crowd has gathered. Naruto, runs up to the crowd.  ****  
** **

“Where are those thieves at?” Naruto asks. “I’ll catch ‘em for you!”   ****  
** **

A man shows Naruto, three sets of shoe prints, leading into the forest. “They went that way!” The man says.  ****  
** **

Naruto, grins and rushes into the forest. Kakashi, Sakura, Sasuke, Hajimu, and Reika arrive just a few moments later.  ****  
** **

“NARUTO!” Sakura calls out.  ****  
** **

However, Naruto, does not listen. He keeps on running until he disappears completely. Kakashi, looks at the shoe prints. “These are the same shoe prints from the orchard.” Kakashi says.  ****  
** **

“And from the forest surrounding the village.” Sakura says. “The people who stole the apples decided to come back.”  ****  
** **

“They were circling the village…,” Sasuke says with realization. “They must have been looking for a way to break into the buildings.”  ****  
** **

Reika, approaches a group of people. “Is your family alright?” Reika asks concernedly.  ****  
** **

“Yes…,” A woman says with a shaky voice. “They set off the alarm, but they didn’t steal anything. The alarm must have scared them off.”  ****  
** **

Sakura, looks at Kakashi. “Shouldn’t we follow Naruto?” Sakura asks.  ****  
** **

Suddenly, a loud yell of pain comes from the forest. Everyone turns towards the forest with wide eyes.  ****  
** **

“That was Naruto!” Sakura says with wide eyes.  ****  
** **

“That certainly didn’t sound good.” Sasuke says.  ****  
** **

“Come on!” Kakashi says. “Let’s go!”  ****  
** **

Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura quickly rush into the forest.  ****  
** **

*************************************** ****  
** **

Thalia, Annabeth, and Theia run through the forest. Annabeth, looks around as she runs. She doesn’t see Luke anywhere. Annabeth, looks around some more. One second Luke was running beside her. Next second...he’s gone.  ****  
** **

“I don’t see Luke anywhere!” Annabeth says with a panicky voice. “He was running right beside me moments ago.”   ****  
** **

“I don’t see him either.” Thalia says. “I just hope he is alright.”  ****  
** **

Just then, Thalia and Annabeth, hear a loud voice coming from behind them. However, it is not Luke’s voice.  ****  
** **

“GOTCHA!” The mysterious voice yells out.  ****  
** **

Thalia, feels hands grab her legs. She falls down with a thud. Annabeth, gasps and stops running. A boy no older than twelve, holds onto Thalia’s legs with both hands. The boy, has spiky blond hair, cerulean blue eyes, and three whisker like marks on each cheek. The boy wears a hideous bright orange jumpsuit.  ****  
** **

Naruto, grins as he looks at the thief he has caught. “Gotcha, you dirty thieves!” Naruto says with a grin. However, Naruto’s grin disappears when he finally sees who he has caught.  ****  
** **

“You’re kids!” Naruto says with shock evident on his face.  ****  
** **

Thalia, quickly regains her composure. Rage, starts to overtake her. No one trips her like that and gets away with it. Thalia’s blue eyes turn red.  ****  
** **

Annabeth, gasps. Thalia’s eyes have turned red again.  ****  
** **

Naruto, blinks a few times, as if trying to make sure what he is seeing is real. However, Naruto, doesn’t get to say anything. Thalia’s hand lights up with blue lightning. Thalia, kicks Naruto away. Thalia, shoots blue electricity at Naruto, who yells out in pain.  ****  
** **

Annabeth, gasps even more. Thalia, gets to her feet. Her hand is no longer lit up. She grabs Annabeth’s arm and starts pulling the little girl along. Theia, follows at their heels. ****  
** **

Naruto, staggers away and breathes heavily. About five minutes later, Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura arrive. Naruto, collapses and passes out.  ****  
** **

“Naruto!” Kakashi says with alarm. Kakashi, checks Naruto’s vitals. “This looks like electric shock.”  ****  
** **

“Electric shock?!” Sakura asks with wide eyes. “You mean he’s been electrocuted?!”  ****  
** **

“No...Electrocution is fatal.” Kakashi says. “Naruto, has just been shocked severely. Don’t worry, he will recover.”  ****  
** **

Kakashi, looks at the forest ahead of them.  _ Who could have done this? _ Kakashi thinks to himself. ****  
** **

*************************************** ****  
** **

Luke, runs through the forest. He looks around, trying to find Thalia, Annabeth, and Theia. However, the two girls and dog are nowhere to be seen.  ****  
** **

_ Oh no!  _ Luke thinks to himself.  _ I lost the girls. I just hope that they are ok. _ ****  
** **

Within minutes, Luke, stops running. He figures that he has gotten far enough away from the town. He now needs to focus on finding Thalia, Annabeth, and Theia. Luke, figures that he should probably head back to their children’s ‘home’. If anything the girls would have run straight home. If Luke gets home and the girls are not there, then it will be time to panic.  ****  
** **

Luke, looks around. Suddenly, he catches a whiff of a delicious smell. It is coming from the left side of the forest.  ****  
** **

Luke, licks his lips.  _ That smell is so mouthwatering. _ Luke thinks to himself.  _ It almost smells like...roasting chicken. _ ****  
** **

Before he knows it, Luke, is walking through the forest, trying to find the source of the delicious smell. Luke, comes upon a clearing with a fire in the middle. Two figures, lie on the ground around the fire. The sound of snoring comes from one of the figures. The figures are asleep.  ****  
** **

Luke, looks more closely above the fire. Above the fire, is a spit with some kind of bird on it. Luke, then notices a pile of feathers nearby. The feathers look like feathers from a grouse. The two unknown figures must have killed a wild grouse to eat.  ****  
** **

Luke, licks his lips again.  _ That grouse smells so delicious. _ Luke thinks to himself.  ****  
** **

Luke, knows that Thalia, Annabeth, and Theia would all love to have roasted grouse to eat. Luke, also feels guilty about setting off that alarm. If Luke hadn’t insisted on breaking into that building, then the children would not have had to run. Luke, thinks that perhaps a roasted grouse dinner will make up for the plan going wrong.  ****  
** **

Luke, looks around. The figures appear to be in deep sleep. Luke, quickly makes up his mind. He shall steal the grouse. However, there is one problem. Luke, will definitely need both hands to carry the grouse. Luke, is holding his cloth sack with one hand. After a few minutes, Luke, comes up with a solution. Luke, quietly takes off his backpack and draws the cloth sack against his chest. Then, Luke puts the drawstrings of the cloth sack over his shoulders and tightens. The cloth sack is now ‘strapped’ against Luke’s chest. Luke, puts his backpack back on. Problem solved.  ****  
** **

Luke, silently tiptoes into the clearing. The figures remain asleep. However, Luke, notices something strange. The two figures are men...and they are wearing black cloaks with red clouds. Itachi, the man from Thalia’s strange dreams, wore a cloak similar to these men.  ****  
** **

_ What a coincidence. _ Luke thinks to himself.  _ Maybe these guys know Itachi. _ ****  
** **

Luke, tiptoes closer to the fire. He slowly reaches and grabs both ends of the spit and lifts it up off of the fire. Luke, slowly tiptoes away from the fire. Just as Luke reaches the treeline, one of the figures starts stirring. Luke’s eyes widen and he breaks into a sprint. Luke, runs as fast as his legs can carry him. He knows that if these men, catch him stealing their food, there will be trouble. ****  
** **

The figure on the ground shifts some more. He even turns a few times.  ****  
** **

...Itachi’s dreamscape… ****  
** **

_Itachi, stands at the edge of the Araya village. Sakiko, sits on the ground a few feet away. She grimaces and holds her swollen stomach. A few meters away, a crowd of villagers, has gathered at the edge of the village. Toma, the village leader, is among them._ _Most of the villagers simply sneer at Sakiko. However, a man with brown hair and ultramarine blue eyes tries to get to Sakiko. Itachi, recognizes the man as Jarou, Sakiko’s uncle._ ** **  
****

_ Two men hold Jarou, back. The two men begin to drag Jarou away. Jarou, struggles to break free. _ ****  
** **

_ “NO!” Jarou cries out. “Toma, don’t do this!”  _ ****  
** **

_ “Uncle Jarou…,” Sakiko says with a pained gasp. Her eyes are wide as she watches her uncle get dragged away.  _ ****  
** **

_ Itachi, narrows his eyes. What is going on? _ ****  
** **

_ Toma, glares at Sakiko. “Sakiko Araya…,” Toma says with a cold voice. “You slept with the criminal and kinslayer, Itachi Uchiha. Now, you carry his child within you. For your mistake, I...Toma Araya, leader of the Araya clan village, hereby banish you to the western and barren edge of our clan’s valley. You shall give birth by yourself. No one shall assist you. You are not to return until you have given birth to your little abomination. I shall then decide what happens to the little abomination.”  _ ****  
** **

_ Itachi’s eyes widen. Banish?  _ ****  
** **

_ A woman with graying blonde hair and ultramarine blue eyes, gets a steely look in her eyes. She throws a bag towards Sakiko, who catches it.  _ ****  
** **

_ “Sakiko, take this.” The woman yells. “There are supplies in there that you will need after the delivery.”  _ ****  
** **

_ The black haired man, Toma, glares at the woman. He then turns back towards Sakiko. “Well, what are you waiting for, little whore?!” Toma yells. “Get going!”  _ ****  
** **

_ Other villagers glare and start yelling at Sakiko. Sakiko, turns away and starts to slowly make her way west. Sakiko, clutches the bag as she slowly hobbles across the snow covered ground.  _ ****  
** **

_ The snow swirls around Itachi. Once the snow stops swirling, Itachi, realizes that he is now in a rundown cabin. The door opens with a creak. It is Sakiko. Sakiko, hobbles into the cabin and closes the door behind her. Sakiko, collapses onto the floor. She writhes in pain and breathes heavily.  _ ****  
** **

_ “Itachi...Itachi…,” Sakiko whispers to herself. She lets a whimper.  _ ****  
** **

_...end of dream…. _ ****  
** **

Itachi’s eyes slowly flicker open. He slowly sits up as he hears the sound of running feet fade into the distance. All of the sudden, Kisame, yells out with a very angry tone of voice.  ****  
** **

“ITACHI, WAKE UP!” Kisame yells. “WE’VE BEEN ROBBED!”  ****  
** **

Itachi, frowns and looks across the fire at Kisame. However, Itachi, immediately realizes something. The grouse that him and Kisame killed earlier, was roasting on a spit when Itachi, went to sleep. The grouse...is gone, along with the spit.  ****  
** **

“Will ya look at that!” Kisame says with anger. “Someone stole our food!”  ****  
** **

Itachi, narrows his eyes. “You were supposed to be watching it.” Itachi says. “Obviously, you were not keeping an eye on it.”  ****  
** **

Kisame, grumbles. “I fell asleep.” Kisame says.  ****  
** **

Itachi, closes his eyes. “It is your fault that someone stole our food.” Itachi says. “You have no right to complain. Besides, we can always catch another one in the morning.”  ****  
** **

Kisame, frowns. “I find this to be very embarrassing.” Kisame says. “The two of us are S-class criminals for crying out loud. We are thieves...not victims of theft.”  ****  
** **

Itachi, closes his eyes and lays back down. “Just go back to sleep Kisame.” Itachi says.  ****  
** **

Kisame’s stomach rumbles. Kisame, frowns and gets up off the ground.  ****  
** **

“I am hungry.” Kisame says. “I am going to catch another grouse.”  ****  
** **

“It’s dark.” Itachi says. “Grouse don’t come out at night.”  ****  
** **

“I don’t care if I have to dig up a nest!” Kisame says. “I am finding me something to eat.”  ****  
** **

****************************************** ****  
** **

Annabeth, carries a glass of water over to Thalia. Thalia, is propped up against some pillows. Thalia’s blue eyes are tired looking.  ****  
** **

“At least your eyes returned to normal.” Annabeth says as she hands the glass of water to Thalia.  ****  
** **

Thalia, sips the water. “Yeah.” Thalia says. Thalia, sets the glass down next to her.  ****  
** **

Suddenly, Luke enters the living room. Annabeth, gasps and runs up to Luke. Annabeth, hugs her friend.  ****  
** **

“Oh Luke!” Annabeth cries. “Thalia and I were so worried about you! We were afraid something bad had happened to you.”   ****  
** **

Luke, hugs Annabeth. “I was worried about you to.” Luke says.  ****  
** **

Luke, sighs. However, when he notices Thalia, propped up against the pillows, he gasps. Luke, lets go of Annabeth and walks over to Thalia.  ****  
** **

“Thalia!” Luke says. “Is something wrong? Why are you propped up against pillows?”  ****  
** **

Thalia’s eyes become downcast. “Someone tried to catch us, but we escaped.” Thalia says.  ****  
** **

“It was a boy about Thalia’s age!” Annabeth says. “I think he was a ninja!”  ****  
** **

“He tripped me.” Thalia says. “I got mad...and my eyes...they turned red again. I shocked him. Then, Annabeth and I managed to escape.”  ****  
** **

Luke, gasps. “Your eyes turned red again?!” Luke asks.  ****  
** **

Thalia, nods and turns her head away. “I feel so drained.” Thalia says. “I barely have any energy.”  ****  
** **

Annabeth, walks over and joins her companions. “I think that Thalia’s energy must be getting sapped when her eyes turn red.” Annabeth says. “It probably didn’t help that she was running.”  ****  
** **

“Your probably right Annabeth.” Thalia says.  ****  
** **

Luke’s eyes become downcast. “This is all my fault.” Luke says. “We should have never tried to break into the last building.”  ****  
** **

However, Luke, manages a smile. “However, I have a surprise for the two of you.” Luke says. “After I got separated from the two of you, I found something that the two of you will like.”  ****  
** **

Luke, runs out of the room. A few minutes later, he returns with a delicious looking roast bird. Thalia’s eyes widen. Annabeth’s eyes widen as well. Theia, sits up and stares at the delectable looking bird.  ****  
** **

“Luke, where in Zeus’s name did you get that?” Annabeth asks.  ****  
** **

Luke, grins. “That is an interesting story.” Luke says. “You see, after I got separated from you, I smelled a wonderful aroma coming from the forest. I followed the scent until I reached a campsite. There were two men, sleeping around a campfire. This bird, was sitting over the fire, on this spit. I think it is a grouse. There was a pile of grouse feathers nearby.”  ****  
** **

Luke, grins even more. “So…,” Luke begins. “I snuck into the camp and grabbed the grouse and ran away.”  ****  
** **

Thalia, narrows her eyes. “You mean to tell us that you stole that bird while it was roasting over a fire?” Thalia asks. ****  
** **

“And while it’s owners were sleeping?” Annabeth asks with wide eyes.  ****  
** **

Luke, nods. “Pretty sly of me, huh?” Luke asks.  ****  
** **

“I’ll say.” Thalia says as she watches Luke, remove the grouse from the spit. Luke, puts the grouse on a sheet pan and puts it into the oven. Luke, turns the oven on.  ****  
** **

“It didn’t look completely cooked to me so we’ll let it finish cooking.” Luke says.  ****  
** **

Luke, takes his bag off of his back. Luke, grins and gathers up Thalia and Annabeth’s bags.  ****  
** **

“Why don’t we go through our bags and see what we got?” Luke asks.  ****  
** **

***************************************** ****  
** **

Kakashi, watches as Hajimu, finishes talking to a villager. Sakura and Sasuke, stand next to Kakashi. Naruto, is at Hajimu’s house. Naruto, is still unconscious.  ****  
** **

Hajimu, sighs and turns to Kakashi. “Whoever tried to break into the Ikeda’s store, managed to break into three other buildings.” Hajimu says. “The village bakery, the candy shop, and the Aburaya’s general store. The thieves took only food, no money.”  ****  
** **

Sakura and Sasuke, look at Kakashi. Kakashi, narrows his visible eye. “What kind of food was taken?” Kakashi asks.  ****  
** **

Hajimu, holds up three pieces of paper. “I have lists of all that was taken.” Hajimu says. “The thieves a lot of different things but I will give you guys the gist of it all.”  ****  
** **

Hajimu, holds up a list. “I shall start with the bakery.” Hajimu says. “Bread...cookies...muffins...turnovers...handheld pies...mini-cakes...and doughnuts.”  ****  
** **

Hajimu, looks at Kakashi. “The thieves took the time to put all of the baked goods into boxes.” Hajimu says.  ****  
** **

Hajimu, then looks at another list. “Ok, the candy store is next.” Hajimu says. “Hard candy...chocolate bars...different varieties of chocolates...candied nuts...and candied fruit.”  ****  
** **

Hajimu, sighs. “The thieves took the time to put the candies into bags.” Hajimu says.  ****  
** **

Hajimu, holds up another list to read. “Lastly, the Aburaya’s general store.” Hajimu says. “Milk...orange juice...sweet cream...whipped cream...butter...tofu...bottled lemon juice...soda...packaged noodles...bagged nuts...chocolate chips...and potato chips.”  ****  
** **

A villager, who is standing nearby, scoffs. “Sheesh.” The villager says. “Those thieves must be planning a feast!”  ****  
** **

Sasuke and Sakura, look at each other. Kakashi, narrows his eyes. “Milk…,” Kakashi begins. “...Orange juice...Sweet cream...whipped cream...butter...lemon juice...and tofu. All of those items need to be refrigerated. The thieves must have a hideout nearby with a working refrigerator.”  ****  
** **

All of the sudden, a villager runs up to Kakashi and the others. “Hey mister ninja!” The villager says. “Your little friend is awake.”  ****  
** **

Kakashi, looks at Sasuke and Sakura, who both nod in turn. The three of them start walking back to Hajimu’s house. Hajimu, follows close behind. When the group reaches the house, they all take off their shoes and enter the living room. Naruto, is sitting up on his futon. Reika, sets a glass of water next to Naruto.  ****  
** **

“Drink some water.” Reika says. “You might feel better.”  ****  
** **

Naruto, picks up the water and takes a big gulp. Naruto sighs.  ****  
** **

“Oh man…,” Naruto mutters. “That really hurt. Being shocked is no fun. No fun at all!”  ****  
** **

“Naruto…,” Kakashi says.  ****  
** **

Naruto, looks up. “Kakashi sensei!” Naruto says.  ****  
** **

“Naruto.” Kakashi says again. “I am glad that you are finally awake, but you need to tell me everything that happened after you ran off.” Kakashi says. “You passed out from severe electric shock. You need to tell me how that happened.”  ****  
** **

Naruto’s eyes widen as he remembers his encounter with the thieves. “I saw the thieves.” Naruto says. “They...they were kids!”  ****  
** **

Kakashi, is slightly taken aback by this. “Kids?” Kakashi asks.  ****  
** **

“Yeah!” Naruto says. “Two of them.”  ****  
** **

“Wait!” Sakura says. “There are three sets of shoe prints outside.”  ****  
** **

“The thieves must have split up.” Sasuke says.  ****  
** **

“The two that I saw…,” Naruto says. “Were both girls. And they had a dog with them.”  ****  
** **

“Ok…,” Kakashi says. “They were both girls and they had a dog. Anything else?”  ****  
** **

“I tripped one of them.” Naruto says. “Then, the one that I tripped...her hand lit up with blue lightning...and then the lightning shot out of her hand. The next thing know...I am in pain.”  ****  
** **

Kakashi, narrows his visible eye. “Ok…,” Kakashi says. “So the one that you tripped zapped you with lightning that she shot out of her hand. Then what happened?”  ****  
** **

“They ran away!” Naruto says. “And I passed out!”  ****  
** **

Suddenly, Naruto, remembers the eyes of the girl that zapped him. “The girl who zapped me…,” Naruto says. “Her eyes changed.”  ****  
** **

Kakashi, blinks a few times. “Changed?” Kakashi asks. “Changed how?”  ****  
** **

“The color!” Naruto says. “Her eyes turned red!”  ****  
** **

Kakashi’s eyes widen. Sasuke’s eyes widen as well.  ****  
** **

Naruto, blinks a few times. “I am not sure…,” Naruto says. “But...the redness almost reminded me of Kakashi Sensei’s sharingan.”  ****  
** **

Sasuke, stands silent. Sakura and Kakashi, look at Sasuke, waiting to see his reaction.  ****  
** **

“Did...did you say...sharingan?” Sasuke asks with shock. His eyes are wide.  ****  
** **

Sasuke, prepares to run out the door but Kakashi, grabs his arm. “Hold it!” Kakashi says. “Where do you think you are going?” ****  
** **

Sasuke, frowns and pulls his arm away. “I am going to confront that girl!” Sasuke says.  ****  
** **

Kakashi, grabs Sasuke’s arm again. “Sasuke…,” Kakashi says. “Let’s think about this for a minute. Naruto says that the redness in the girl’s eyes reminded him of sharingan. He isn’t saying that it was sharingan that he saw.”  ****  
** **

Sasuke, blinks a few times. He starts to relax.  ****  
** **

“That girl is the one who shocked Naruto.” Kakashi says. “If you confront her, then the same thing could happen to you. Who knows what else that girl is capable of? That girl could have actually  _ electrocuted _ Naruto.”  ****  
** **

Sasuke, slowly closes his eyes. He hangs his head down.  ****  
** **

“We need to think before we rush into a dangerous situation.” Kakashi says. ****  
** **

Kakashi, look at Naruto. “Naruto…,” Kakashi says. “I need to tell me everything that you remember about those girls you saw.”  ****  
** **

******************************************* ****  
** **

Thalia, steps out of the shower and wraps herself with a white fluffy towel. After sorting through their loot, Luke, took the grouse out of the oven. Luke, put the roasted grouse onto a platter and put the platter into the fridge. The children shall warm the grouse back up tomorrow and have it for dinner. Then, the children decided to take showers before they went back to bed. Thalia, has just finished with hers.  ****  
** **

Thalia, sighs and rubs herself down with some creamy white lotion. She feels so much better.  ****  
** **

_ I haven’t felt so clean in a long time. _ Thalia thinks as she puts her clothing back on.  ****  
** **

Thalia, chucks the towel into a basket and heads downstairs. Luke and Annabeth are in the living room. Theia, sits by Annabeth. The dog is chewing happily on a red rubber ball.  ****  
** **

Annabeth, looks up from the picture book she is looking through. Annabeth’s hair is still a little damp. “You feel better?” Annabeth asks. “I know I do.”  ****  
** **

“Yeah.” Thalia says. “That shower was just what I needed.”   ****  
** **

Luke, looks up from the picture book that he is looking through. “Yeah, me too.” Luke says.  ****  
** **

Thalia, picks up a picture book. Looking through a picture book is probably a good way to pass the time until her hair is completely dry.


	16. Uchiha dreams IV

The sun slowly rises in the horizon. Kisame, is busy tending to a grouse roasting on a spit above the campfire.  ****  
** **

Nearby, Itachi, shifts in his sleep. He tosses and turns on the ground.  ****  
** **

...Itachi’s dreamscape… ****  
** **

_Itachi, stands in a cabin. Sakiko, lays propped up against some old pillows and sacks. She breathes heavily. Sweat runs down her face. The bag that the old woman tossed to her, lays by her side._ ****  
** **

_Sakiko, whimpers and grunts. Sakiko’s face scrunches up and the muscles around her stomach and chest seem to contract. Itachi, immediately realizes what Sakiko, is doing. Sakiko, is trying to push her unborn child out of her._ ****  
** **

_Sakiko, stops pushing and lays back against the pillows. She takes a deep breath._ ****  
** **

_“...Itachi…,” Sakiko whispers to herself._ ****  
** **

_Sakiko, pushes again. She lets out a scream. Soon, the cries of an infant can be heard. Itachi, looks between Sakiko’s outstretched legs. A wriggling newborn baby, lays between Sakiko’s legs. The baby lays in a pool of amniotic fluid and blood. Sakiko, looks between her legs and gasps. She smiles and carefully lifts the newborn up. The baby is a girl._ ****  
** **

_Sakiko, carefully holds the newborn against her chest with one hand while she opens up the bag. Sakiko, takes out a pair of scissors and cuts the umbilical cord. Sakiko, also takes out a towel and begins trying to clean her baby as best she can._ ****  
** **

_“So beautiful.” Sakiko says as she puts the bloodied towel down and picks up a soft white blanket._ ****  
** **

_Sakiko, holds up her now bundled baby with both hands. The baby stops crying and begins to coo softly within the blanket. The baby’s skin is pale and a tuft of black hair sits on top of the infant’s head. Then, the baby opens her eyes, revealing dark blue almost black irises. Itachi, narrows his eyes. The baby’s eyes look, like a mix of his own black irises and Sakiko’s blue irises. Could this child really be his?_ ****  
** **

_Sakiko, lays back and look up at the ceiling. There is a hole in the ceiling right above Sakiko. The moon shines brightly into the cabin. Sakiko, smiles and looks down at the infant._ ****  
** **

_“Katsuki.” Sakiko whispers. “Your name shall be Katsuki.”_ ****  
** **

_All of the sudden, Sakiko, grimaces and looks between her legs. A large pool of blood sits on the floor between her legs. The umbilical cord still lays between Sakiko’s legs. The placenta has still not come out. Sakiko, pushes with all of her might. The placenta still does not come out. More blood gushes out between Sakiko’s legs._ ****  
** **

_Sakiko, lays back against the pillows. She whimpers as she takes deep breaths. Sakiko’s eyes slowly start to become dull. She ends up looking in Itachi's direction._ ****  
** **

_“Itachi…,” Sakiko whispers to herself._ " _Itachi, help me. Please help me."_ ****  
** **

...end of dream… ****  
** **

Itachi, slowly opens his eyes. Bright light enters his vision. It is morning.  ****  
** **

Itachi, slowly sits up and looks around. Kisame, sits on the other side of the fire. A grouse, is skewered on a spit above the fire. Kisame, looks up. Itachi’s eyes widen. Kisame’s face is covered with small scratches and tiny wounds.  ****  
** **

“Oh good you’re awake.” Kisame says.  ****  
** **

“What happened to your face?” Itachi asks.  ****  
** **

Kisame, grumbles. “I dug up a grouse nest.” Kisame says. “They all attacked me. They kept pecking my face. I thought they were going to peck me to death!”  ****  
** **

Kisame, looks back at the roasting grouse. “However, I did get us a grouse to eat.” Kisame says. “It’s a big one to.”  ****  
** **

Itachi, gets up. “I am going to take a walk.” Itachi says.  ****  
** **

Kisame, shrugs. “Suit yourself.” Kisame says. “If you’re not back by the time the grouse is done roasting, I will eat it all myself.”  ****  
** **

Itachi, doesn’t say anything. He walks away. Itachi, can’t get his latest dream out of his head.  ****  
** **

_All of that blood…,_ Itachi thinks to himself. Itachi, closes his eyes. Just seeing all of that blood made Itachi think of the night he massacred his clan.  ****  
** **

Itachi, opens his eyes and look at his hands. Itachi, vividly remembers himself holding the bloody katana with his bloodstained hands.  ****  
** **

Itachi, shakes his head and keeps on walking. After a few minutes Itachi, reaches a stream. Itachi, sits down at the water’s edge. Itachi, looks down at the water. A single tear falls from each eye.  ****  
** **

**************************************** ****  
** **

Sasuke and Sakura, lay on their futons. Naruto’s futon is empty, as is Kakashi’s. The two of them are guarding the apple orchard.  ****  
** **

Sakura, breathes softly in her sleep. Sasuke, however, tosses and turns. His face scrunches up.  ****  
** **

...Sasuke’s dreamscape… ****  
** **

_Sasuke, stands in a dark cabin. Sakiko, lays in the middle of the room, propped up against some old dusty pillows. Sakiko, lets out a scream. The cries of an infant, fill the cabin. Between Sakiko’s legs is a newborn infant, covered in blood and amniotic fluid. The infant lays in a pool of blood and amniotic fluid._ ****  
** **

_Sasuke, can’t take his eyes off of the blood. The blood reminds him of that night._ ****  
** **

_Sakiko, smiles as she carefully picks up the bloody newborn. The baby is a girl. A tuft of black hair sits on top of the infant’s head._ ****  
** **

_Sakiko, rummages through a bag and takes out a pair of scissors. Sakiko, cuts the umbilical cord. Sakiko, then takes out a towel and begins cleaning her newborn. Sakiko, doesn’t take her eyes off of the child for one second._ ****  
** **

_“So beautiful.” Sakiko says as she puts the bloodied towel down and picks up a soft white blanket._ ****  
** **

_Sakiko, wraps the baby up with the blanket. Sakiko, looks up at the ceiling. The moon shines brightly through a hole in the ceiling. Sakiko, smiles and looks down at the baby._ ****  
** **

_“Katsuki…,” Sakiko says. “Katsuki, shall be your name. My beautiful Katsuki.”_ ****  
** **

_All of the sudden, Sakiko, grimaces and look between her legs. A large pool of blood sits between Sakiko’s legs. The umbilical cord, also sits between Sakiko’s legs._ ****  
** **

_Sasuke’s just stares at the blood. Images of his dead relatives start floating around him. Sasuke, gasps and holds his head. So much blood. Sasuke, can’t take it. He staggers back._ ****  
** **

_The umbilical cord sticks out of Sakiko’s vagina. Sakiko, gasps and pushes, only to have more blood come out of her. Sasuke, suddenly remembers something. In class when he was still at the Academy, Iruka, had talked about babies and childbirth. The placenta, which is the connection between a mother and unborn baby, supplies blood to the growing fetus. The placenta is also connected to the mother. If the placenta stays inside the mother after the baby is born, the mother will hemorrhage and bleed to death._ ****  
** **

_Sakiko, lays back down against the pillows. Her breathing is becoming hitched. Her eyes are becoming dull. More blood gushes out of Sakiko’s body._ ****  
** **

_“Itachi…,” Sakiko whispers to herself. “Itachi...Itachi."_ ****  
** **

_Sasuke, grits his teeth at hearing his hated brother’s name. Sasuke, watches as Sakiko, takes a deep breath and closes her eyes. Sakiko’s arm gives out and the baby slips out of her arm and rolls softly onto the floor. The bundle now sits at Sasuke’s feet. The baby, opens its eyes. Sasuke, blinks. The baby’s irises are a dark blue almost black color. The baby, has Itachi’s face._ ****  
** **

_The room goes dark. More images of his dead relatives, float around Sasuke’s head. Sasuke, screws his eyes shut. When Sasuke, opens his eyes, he is in a different room. He is surrounded by the bloodied bodies of his dead relatives. Blood stains the walls. Sasuke, gasps. He tries to wake up but he can’t._ ****  
** **

_The walls around him suddenly disappear. Sasuke, and the bodies are now in an open field. Gray clouds line the sky above. Lightning and thunder fills the air with noise and light._ ****  
** **

_Suddenly, the sound of crying infants reaches Sasuke’s ears. Sasuke, looks down. Not one but three babies lay at Sasuke’s feet now. One of the babies is Sakiko’s baby. However, Sasuke, has never seen the two other infants before._ ****  
** **

_One of the unknown infants is a girl, with electric blue eyes and black hair. The baby girl is wrapped in a pink blanket. The other unknown infant is a boy with electric blue eyes and blond hair. The baby boy is wrapped in a blue blanket._ ****  
** **

_Sasuke, simply stares at the three infants all together. The three infants all seem to share similar features._ ****  
** **

_Sasuke, looks up and sees the bodies of his parents...and Sakiko lying at Itachi’s feet. Itachi’s eyes blaze red with sharingan. Itachi, looks coldly at Sasuke and the three infants. All of the sudden, Itachi, disappears and appears right in front of Sasuke. Itachi, smirks and holds up his katana._ ****  
** **

_“Weak…,” Itachi says. “So weak.”_ ****  
** **

_Itachi’s sharingan morphs into mangekyo sharingan._ ****  
** **

...end of dream… ****  
** **

“Sasuke!” Sasuke hears a panicked voice say. “Wake up!”  ****  
** **

Sasuke, opens his eyes. Sakura, is hunched over him. Sakura’s eyes are filled with concern.  ****  
** **

“Sasuke, are you ok?!” Sakura asks with wide eyes. “You were tossing and turning like crazy! You’re also covered with sweat.”  ****  
** **

Sasuke, frowns and feels his forehead. His hand is now sticky. Sasuke, looks at his arms. Beads of sweat drip down his arms.  ****  
** **

Sasuke, shakes his head. “I was just having another dream.” Sasuke says. “Actually, I would call it a nightmare.”  ****  
** **

Sakura’s eyes widen. “A nightmare!?” Sakura asks. “That’s terrible! Want to talk about it?”  ****  
** **

Sasuke, shakes his head. “No…,” Sasuke says. “You wouldn’t understand it anyway. However, I need to tell Kakashi. Kakashi, told me to tell him if I had any more dreams.”  ****  
** **

Sasuke, looks out the window. It is morning. Time for Kakashi and Naruto to come back from their patrol. Just then, Kakashi and Naruto walk through the door.  ****  
** **

“Kakashi sensei!” Sakura says. “Sasuke, had a nightmare!”  ****  
** **

Kakashi, narrows his eyes. “A nightmare you say.” Kakashi says.  ****  
** **

Kakashi, looks at Naruto and Sakura. “Can the two of you leave us alone for a little while?” Kakashi asks.  ****  
** **

Sakura, gets up and grabs Naruto’s arm. “Of course.” Sakura says as she starts pulling Naruto along. “Come along Naruto.”  ****  
** **

“Hey!” Naruto says with a tired and grouchy voice. “I want to go to sleep!”  ****  
** **

Sakura and Naruto, exit the room. Kakashi, sits down beside Sasuke.  ****  
** **

“Alright then,” Kakashi says. “Tell me all about it.”  ****  
** **

************************************************* ****  
** **

Thalia, lays on her futon. Annabeth and Theia, lay on their own futons nearby. Luke’s futon is empty.  ****  
** **

Thalia, tosses and turns on her futon. Thalia’s face scrunches up.  ****  
** **

...Thalia’s dreamscape… ****  
** **

_Thalia, stands inside a cabin. A hole in the ceiling, reveals a crescent moon above._ ****  
** **

_Sakiko, lays in the middle of the floor, propped up slightly on old pillows. Sakiko’s face scrunches up with pain as she breathes heavily. Sakiko, then pushes and lets out a scream. Soon, the cries of an infant, fill the cabin._ ****  
** **

_Thalia, looks between Sakiko’s splayed legs. Between Sakiko’s legs is a tiny infant, covered in blood and amniotic fluid. The infant lays in a pool of blood and amniotic fluid._ ****  
** **

_Sakiko, gasps and smiles as she carefully picks up the bloody newborn. The baby is a girl. A tuft of black hair sits on top of the infant’s head._ ****  
** **

_Sakiko, takes a pair of small metal scissors out of her bag. Sakiko, cuts the umbilical cord and starts cleaning the baby with a towel._ ****  
** **

_“So beautiful.” Sakiko says as she puts the bloodied towel down._ ****  
** **

_Sakiko, then picks up a soft white blanket. Sakiko, wraps the baby up with the blanket. Sakiko, looks up at the ceiling. The moon shines brightly through a hole in the ceiling. Sakiko, smiles and looks down at the baby._ ****  
** **

_“Katsuki…,” Sakiko says. “Katsuki, shall be your name. My beautiful Katsuki.”_ ****  
** **

_All of the sudden, Sakiko, grimaces and look between her legs. A large pool of blood, and the umbilical cord, sits between Sakiko’s legs. Sakiko, gasps and pushes, only to have more blood come out of her._ ****  
** **

_After a few minutes, Sakiko, lays back down against the pillows. Blood still gushes out of Sakiko’s vagina. Her breathing is becoming hitched. Her eyes are becoming dull._ ****  
** **

_Thalia’s eyes widen. Sakiko, looks as if she is dying._ ****  
** **

_“Itachi…,” Sakiko whispers to herself. “Itachi...Itachi.”_ ****  
** **

_Sakiko, takes a deep breath and closes her eyes. Sakiko’s arm gives out. The bundle slips out of Sakiko’s arm and rolls softly onto the floor._ ****  
** **

_The baby cries and opens its eyes. Thalia, stands there frozen with shock. The baby, has dark blue eyes. Thalia, has seen those eyes before. The baby has Thalia’s mother’s eyes. Beryl Grace._ ****  
** **

...end of dream… ****  
** **

Thalia’s eyes flicker open. Annabeth’s face comes into view. Annabeth, is sitting to Thalia’s right. Theia, sits to Thalia’s left.  Annabeth, is looking at Thalia with eyes full of concern.  ****  
** **

“Thalia!” Annabeth says. “What is wrong?! You were moving around like this again.”  ****  
** **

Annabeth, mimics the movements that Thalia, was making in her sleep. Thalia’s eyes widen.  ****  
** **

“I was just dreaming again.” Thalia says as she sits up.  ****  
** **

Annabeth, narrows her eyes. “You had another dream!?” Annabeth asks. “Wanna talk about it?”  ****  
** **

Thalia, sighs. “Not right now.” Thalia says. Thalia, look over at Luke’s futon and sees that he is gone. Thalia, narrows her eyes.  ****  
** **

“Where is Luke?” Thalia asks as she looks at Annabeth.  ****  
** **

Annabeth shrugs her shoulders. “I dunno.” Annabeth says. “He wasn’t here when I woke up.”  ****  
** **

Thalia, looks around. “I wonder where he could have gotten to.” Thalia says.  ****  
** **

Just then, Luke, walks in through the door. He carries a bucket full of fish.  ****  
** **

“Hey girls.” Luke says. “I woke up earlier and realized something. I realized that we needed something to eat for lunch. I went out and caught us some fish.” ****  
** **

Luke, also holds a basket in his other hand. “I also investigated the chicken coop.” Luke says. “I think that the chicken coop is so dirty on the inside, the chickens aren’t even laying eggs in there.”  ****  
** **

Luke, sets the bucket of fish down and grins when he holds up the basket. “However,” Luke says. “I decided to check the surrounding area. Look at what I found hidden in the tall grass.”  ****  
** **

Luke, picks up a small white object from the basket. It is an egg.  ****  
** **

Annabeth, gasps and claps her hands. “Eggs!” Annabeth says. “Hurray!”  ****  
** **

“I thought that we could have a nice breakfast today.” Luke says. Luke, begins carrying the bucket of fish and basket of fish into the kitchen.   ****  
** **

Annabeth, then remembers Thalia’s dream. “Thalia, had another dream.” Annabeth says as Luke sets the bucket of fish on the counter in the kitchen.  ****  
** **

Luke, narrows his eyes. “She did?” Luke asks.  ****  
** **

“Yeah…,” Thalia says. “I don’t wanna talk about it right now.”  ****  
** **

Luke, frowns. “Alright then.” Luke says. “You can tell us when you’re ready. Right now, I need the two of you to help me prepare the fish.”  ****  
** **

Thalia, gets up from her futon and starts tidying it. Annabeth, quietly tidies her futon. Theia, yawns and goes over to the door. Luke, realizes that Theia, needs to go outside. Luke, opens the door and lets Theia outside.  ****  
** **

Thalia, can’t get her dream out of her head. She blinks as she gazes out the window.  ****  
** **

_That baby…,_ Thalia thinks to herself. _She had my mother’s eyes. Why?_   ****  
** **

**************************************** ****  
** **

Sasuke, sits on his futon as he finishes telling Kakashi, about his nightmare. Kakashi, sits next to the futon. Kakashi, simply listens to Sasuke’s words.  ****  
** **

“Then, I woke up.” Sasuke says.  ****  
** **

Kakashi, scratches his chin. “Hmm…,” Kakashi mumbles. “That is very strange indeed.”  ****  
** **

Sasuke, holds his head. “I just wish these dreams would stop!” Sasuke says. “I get more and more confused with each one.”  ****  
** **

Just then, Reika, comes into the room. “I hate to interrupt.” Reika says. “But...Sakura told me that Sasuke, is having weird dreams.”  ****  
** **

Reika, pulls out a map and opens it up. Reika, points to a dot. “This is our village.” Reika says.  ****  
** **

Reika, then points to another dot past a river towards the west. “This dot represents a nearby village.” Reika says. “We trade with this village quite often. It is called Saitou village. It was named after the clan that founded it.”  ****  
** **

Reika, takes a deep breath. “In the Saitou village, lives a woman.” Reika says. “She is kind of like a ‘soothsayer’.”  ****  
** **

Kakashi and Sasuke, look at each other. “A soothsayer?” Kakashi asks.  ****  
** **

“Yes.” Reika says. “She can foresee the future to some extent. She can also see into the past and interpret dreams.”  ****  
** **

Kakashi’s eyes widen. “Interpret dreams?” Kakashi asks.  ****  
** **

Reika, nods. “However…,” Reika says. “She only speaks in riddles. Her interpretations and predictions are a lot like poetry and songs. Many people barely understand her words. However, I think that Sasuke should pay her a visit.”  ****  
** **

Kakashi, looks at Sasuke. “What do you think?” Kakashi asks. “Are you willing to visit this ‘soothsayer’?”  ****  
** **

Sasuke, blinks a few times. “I don’t know.” Sasuke says. “I never really believed in soothsayers. However, if Reika thinks this ‘soothsayer’ can help me understand my dreams, then I will go visit her.”  ****  
** **

“The Saitou village is a two hour walk from here.” Reika says.  ****  
** **

Kakashi, looks at Sasuke. “After breakfast, you shall go to the Saitou village.” Kakashi says. “As team captain, I am giving you a temporary break from this mission.”  ****  
** **

***************************************** ****  
** **

Thalia, puts the last pieces of fish into a pot. Cooked celery and carrots are already in the pot. Thalia, then covers the fish and vegetables with some water. The fish and vegetables shall slowly simmer in the pot until lunchtime.  ****  
** **

Luke and Annabeth, are busy cleaning the counter. They look at Thalia.  ****  
** **

“Alright.” Luke says. “Fish is in the pot. What should we do now?”  ****  
** **

Just then, Annabeth’s stomach rumbles. Luke’s stomach rumbles seconds later. Thalia’s stomach rumbles as well. The three children frown.  ****  
** **

“My stomach is saying that it is time for breakfast.” Thalia says. “Why don’t we treat ourselves to a gourmet breakfast?”  ****  
** **

Annabeth, smiles widely. “Oh yes!” Annabeth says. “A gourmet breakfast!”

Thalia, smiles. "Why don't we get started then?" Thalia asks. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow! Sasuke's nightmare was pretty weird wasn't it? Now Sasuke, is going to visit a 'soothsayer' to have his dreams interpreted. What will the 'soothsayer' say? Find out in the next chapter. Also, can all of you guess who those infants from Sasuke's dream were? Leave your answers down in the comments section. And please comment. I love feedback.


	17. The soothsayer's words

Thalia, looks at the spread of food that her, Annabeth, and Luke just created. The table is filled with platters and bowls full of food.  ****  
** **

One platter contains fried eggs, cooked sunny side up. The eggs have been sprinkled with salt and pepper. Another platter holds blueberry muffins. The children gently warmed up the muffins by placing them in the oven for a few minutes. A third platter, holds pan fried potatoes, seasoned with herbs, salt and pepper. A bowl holds fruit salad, sweetened with a homemade honey glaze. Three glasses full of mixed berry smoothie, sit on the table. Glasses of orange juice also sit on the table.  ****  
** **

Thalia, looks at Luke and Annabeth. Luke and Annabeth, stare at the food.  ****  
** **

“Wow.” Luke says. “Look at what we just created.”  ****  
** **

“I know.” Thalia says. “It’s awesome.”  ****  
** **

“What are we waiting for?!” Annabeth asks. “Let’s dig in!”  ****  
** **

Theia, who is sitting by Annabeth, lets out a bark. Annabeth smiles.  ****  
** **

“Of course we didn’t forget you Theia.” Annabeth says. Annabeth, walks over to the counter and grabs a plate full of unsalted eggs, fruit, and unsalted fried potatoes.  ****  
** **

“Here is your breakfast.” Annabeth says as she places the plate of food in front of Theia.  ****  
** **

Theia, sniffs the food and gives a tentative lick. Within minutes, Theia, is gobbling down her breakfast. Annabeth, Luke and Thalia, sit down at the table and slowly start loading their plates. Luke, stuffs a mouthful of fried potatoes into his mouth. Luke, chews for a few minutes and swallows. Luke, smiles.  ****  
** **

“I love potatoes.” Luke says as he takes a few more bites.  ****  
** **

“I do too!” Annabeth says.  ****  
** **

Thalia, takes a bite of her fried eggs. “Best fried eggs I have ever tasted.” Thalia says.  ****  
** **

Annabeth, takes a sip of her smoothie. “This smoothie is so delicious.” Annabeth says.  ****  
** **

Thalia and Luke, takes sips of their smoothies as well. “You’re right Annabeth.” Luke says. “This smoothie is pretty delicious.”  ****  
** **

“I can’t remember the last time I had a smoothie.” Thalia says.  ****  
** **

Annabeth, takes a bite of a blueberry muffin. She smiles instantly.  ****  
** **

“I love muffins!” Annabeth says.  ****  
** **

Luke, smiles. “These muffins are really good.” Luke says, agreeing with Annabeth.  ****  
** **

Thalia, smiles. “Just think…,” Thalia says. “If we can successfully continue to steal food, hunt and fish, and grow our own, we can eat like this everyday. Every meal. No more going hungry.”  ****  
** **

Annabeth smiles. “Yay!” Annabeth says. “No more starving!”  ****  
** **

Luke, smiles. “Yeah.” Luke says. “No more starving and wondering where our next meal is coming from.”  ****  
** **

Thalia, Luke, Annabeth, and Theia, continue to eat their breakfast. Thalia, Luke, and Annabeth talk pleasantly with each other as they eat.   ****  
** **

************************************ ****  
** **

Sasuke, approaches the gate of a village. People bustle about in the street.  ****  
** **

Sasuke, sighs. _Here goes nothing._ Sasuke thinks to himself as he enters the village.  ****  
** **

The villagers stop walking and stare at the young ninja. A man with dark brown hair and green eyes approaches. The man stares Sasuke down.  ****  
** **

“State your business, leaf ninja!” The man says.  ****  
** **

Sasuke, stops walking and stands in front of the man. “I am a leaf ninja from Konohagakure.” Sasuke says. “I was on a mission in a nearby village, the Aoku village. However, I have come seeking guidance.”  ****  
** **

Sasuke, takes a deep breath. “The wife of the village leader told me that a ‘soothsayer’ lives in this village, and that she has the power to interpret dreams.” Sasuke says. “For the last four nights, I have been having strange dreams. I was hoping that your soothsayer could interpret my dreams.”  ****  
** **

The man visibly relaxes. “I see,” The man says. “You have come to see lady Aisha. I shall show you the way to her cabin. Follow me.”  ****  
** **

The man, starts walking down the street. Sasuke, follows close behind.  ****  
** **

About ten minutes later, Sasuke and the man, reach a staircase going up and through a mountain pass. The man turns to Sasuke.  ****  
** **

“This staircase leads to a small valley.” The man says. “It is where lady Aisha lives. Once you get into the valley, all you have to do is follow the dirt path. That will take you to Lady Aisha’s cabin.”  ****  
** **

Sasuke, bows respectfully. “Thank you very much.” Sasuke says.  ****  
** **

Sasuke, starts up the staircase. Once at the top he is amazed by what he sees. A small waterfall, sits at one end of the valley. The valley is lush with vegetation. Sasuke, slowly descends the steps and finds a path. As Sasuke walks down the path, he looks around at all of the greenery. Fruit trees all of kinds dot the landscape. Cherry blossom trees add pops of pink to the landscape.  ****  
** **

Eventually Sasuke, sees something in the distance. It is a small cabin. A small stream runs by the cabin. A small garden sits off to the side.  ****  
** **

By the stream sits a cherry blossom tree. Under the tree, sits an old woman. The old woman has long gray hair, braided into a long braid. A crown of colorful flowers sits on top of the woman’s head. The woman wears a dress of many colors. The bottom half of the woman’s dress is earthy brown and grass green. The top half is a mix of sky blue, white, and sunny yellow. The woman also wears a cape with many different colored flowers printed on it.  ****  
** **

The woman’s eyes are closed. The woman appears to be meditating.  ****  
** **

Sasuke, slowly approaches. The woman’s eyes slowly open. She stares at Sasuke with icy blue eyes.  ****  
** **

Sasuke, blinks a few times. “Are you Lady Aisha?” Sasuke asks. ****  
** **

“Yes…,” The old woman says. “I am lady Aisha. I see that you are a leaf ninja. I can assume that you have heard of my abilities and have come to seek counsel from me?”  ****  
** **

Sasuke, bows. “Yes…,” Sasuke says. “The wife of the Aoku village’s leader, told me to come here.”  ****  
** **

“I see.” Lady Aisha says. “Tell me, what is your name?”  ****  
** **

Sasuke, blinks. “My name is...Sasuke.” Sasuke says. “Sasuke Uchiha.”  ****  
** **

The eyes of Lady Aisha widen instantly. “An Uchiha?!” Lady Aisha says. “I had heard of what happened to the Uchiha clan. I also heard that one child survived the massacre.”  ****  
** **

Sasuke, closes his eyes. “Yes, that would be me.” Sasuke says. “I am the younger brother of the man who destroyed them.”  ****  
** **

Lady Aisha’s eyes soften. “I see.” Lady Aisha says. “Your eyes tell me that you hold much grief in your heart. Yet, you also hold much hatred and resentment.”  ****  
** **

Lady Aisha, closes her eyes. “Tell me, Sasuke Uchiha.” Lady Aisha begins. “What is troubling you?”  ****  
** **

Sasuke, sits down in front of Lady Aisha. “For the past four nights, I have been having strange dreams.” Sasuke says. “Each one is stranger than the last.”  ****  
** **

“Strange dreams you say.” Lady Aisha says. “Tell me all about these strange dreams.”  ****  
** **

Sasuke, closes his eyes as he thinks back to his first dream. “In my first dream, I was back at my clan’s compound.” Sasuke says. “It was the night of the massacre. It was like I was reliving that night.”  ****  
** **

Lady Aisha’s eyes narrow with sadness. “I see.” Lady Aisha says. “Anything else?”  ****  
** **

Sasuke, blinks a few times. “I was standing before that man...my brother.” Sasuke says. “He was telling me the last words he ever said to me that night. Then, it all went black. But...then my dream shifted onto another image.”  ****  
** **

Lady Aisha, narrows her eyes. “Another image?” Lady Aisha asks. ****  
** **

Sasuke, nods. “Yes.” Sasuke says. “Itachi, my brother, was in a meadow. He was with a girl I have never seen before. Itachi, called the girl Sakiko. Itachi and Sakiko, were laying together in the meadow. Then, they both started taking their clothes off until they were naked. Then, my dream ended.”  ****  
** **

Lady Aisha’s eyes widen a little. Then, she closes her eyes for a few minutes. Lady Aisha, then opens her eyes and looks at Sasuke.  ****  
** **

“Go on.” Lady Aisha says. “You said that you have had multiple dreams. That is just one dream.”   ****  
** **

Sasuke, takes a deep breath before continuing.   ****  
** **

*************************************** ****  
** **

Thalia and Luke both grab buckets from the pantry. The pot of fish and vegetable soup slowly simmers on the stove. Thalia and Luke, are going to clean out the henhouse. Annabeth, shall stay behind and organize the motel some more and keep an eye on the soup.  ****  
** **

Thalia and Luke, carry their buckets over to the sink and turn on the hot water. Annabeth, grabs a bottle of soap for them.  ****  
** **

“Here is some soap!” Annabeth says.  ****  
** **

Luke, takes the bottle of soap from Annabeth. “Thanks Annie.” Luke says.  ****  
** **

Luke and Thalia, lift their buckets of hot water out of the sink and grab some rags. Thalia, turns to Annabeth.  ****  
** **

“Alright, Luke and I will be back later.” Thalia says.  ****  
** **

Thalia and Luke, slowly make their way out of the motel. Annabeth, turns to look at an empty room down an adjacent hallway.  ****  
** **

_Hmm…,_ Annabeth thinks to herself. _I wonder how we could use this room._   ****  
** **

*************************************** ****  
** **

Sasuke, takes a deep breath. He just got done telling Lady Aisha about the nightmare he had last night.  ****  
** **

“Then…,” Sasuke says. “I woke up.”  ****  
** **

Lady Aisha, closes her eyes. She takes a deep breath.  ****  
** **

“I see so much.” Lady Aisha says. “I foresee that you will have more dreams. The reason for your dreams will become clear in due time.”  ****  
** **

Lady Aisha, takes another deep breath. “Your dreams are rooted in the past, present, and future.” Lady Aisha says. “The answers that I am getting from beyond, are not clear cut. You must figure things out yourself. This is what I see.”  ****  
** **

Sasuke, clenches his hands into fists. “Please, tell me what you see.” Sasuke asks. “What do my dreams mean?”  ****  
** **

Lady Aisha, breathes in very deep. She exhales and closes her eyes. Lady Aisha, puts her hands together and sits up straight as if she is getting ready to meditate. Lady Aisha, then begins rambling off phrases. It is almost like a song or poem.  ****  
** **

_“A red eyed kinslayer,_

_wanders the earth._

_He cannot escape his past._

_A past stained with lies and blood._

_His fearsome reputation,_

_is known throughout the nations.”_

Sasuke, blinks a few times. These words seem to describe his brother perfectly. Lady Aisha, takes a deep breath. Her eyes remain closed as she speaks in a clear and strong voice. 

_“A beautiful young maiden._

_A rare beauty,_

_the kinslayer cannot resist._

_A night full of passion and deception,_

_the virgin is deflowered._

_Her innocence lost forever.”_

Sasuke, blinks a few times, trying to decipher the words. Could these words be describing Sakiko? Lady Aisha, takes another breath and continues. 

_“A cold winter night._

_A new life enters the world,_

_While another life fades._

_A newborn is left motherless._

_The moon above,_

_is the only witness to the tragedy.”_

Sasuke, thinks back to his nightmare. Sakiko, appeared to be dying after she gave birth. These words must be about Sakiko and her child. However, before Sasuke can think more about the words, Lady Aisha continues on. 

_“An unbelievable act of cruelty._

_From one one world to another,_

_a child is sent away._

_A family is banished from their home,_

_forced to face an unforgiving world._

_A village head holds no remorse for his actions.”_

Sasuke, blinks a few times. He is very confused. From one world to another? What is that supposed to mean? 

Lady Aisha’s eyes remain closed. She takes another deep breath and continues to speak. 

_“A lonely little girl waits for her happily ever after._

_She watches other children find their happily ever afters with jealous eyes._

_She longs for a home of her own._

_She longs for love and affection._

_The little girl waits and waits for the day to come._

_Yet the day never comes._

_People look at her with scorn._

_The other children call her a freak._

_Adults call her a monster._

_All because of her unique eyes._

_Realization sets in._

_No one shall ever want her._

_The little girl wallows in her misery._

_She is abroken angel._ ” 

Sasuke, blinks a few times. He is even more confused now. Lonely little girl? happily ever after?

Lady Aisha, takes another deep breath. She continues on with her strange words. 

_“The years go by._

_A girl becomes a woman._

_She strikes out on her own,_

_into an unforgiving world._

_Her beauty hides her scars._

_She is a broken soul.”_

Sasuke, blinks again. He is very confused now.

Lady Aisha, takes a deep breath. She continues on. Her eyes remain closed. 

_“The years keep going by._

_A woman becomes a starlet._

_She should be happy and satisfied._

_Yet she isn’t._

_Her audience doesn’t see the truth._

_Her beauty hides her internal pain._

_She just wants the pain to end._

_Glass by glass,_

_bottle by bottle,_

_the starlet drinks her sorrow away.”_

Sasuke, blinks again. Starlet? Does Lady Aisha mean 'actress'? What does Lady Aisha mean by 'the starlet drinks her pain away'?

Lady Aisha, takes a deep breath and continues.

_“In a kingdom above the clouds,_

_hidden from the eyes of mortals,_

_an immortal god watches from his throne._

_He watches with lust._

_Yet he cannot act._

_He is bound by a sacred oath._

_No more affairs with mortal women,_

_no more fathering half-blood children.”_  

Sasuke, blinks again. He is even more confused. Kingdom above the clouds? Immortal gods? Sacred oath? Half-blood children? This is not making sense at all. 

Lady Aisha, takes a deep breath. She continues on with her words. Her eyes are still closed.

_“The god cannot contain his lust anymore._

_He descends from his kingdom._

_The starlet is infatuated._

_She finally has love._

_She has finally found satisfaction._

_But every action has its consequences.”_

Sasuke, narrows his eyes. Consequences?

Lady Aisha, takes another breath and then continues on. 

_“The middle of winter,_

_A baby is born._

_Half-mortal and half-god._

_A sacred oath is broken._

_The god leaves._

_The starlet must deal with the consequences herself._

_She slowly unravels_

_The starlet drinks her sorrows away.”_

Sasuke, narrows his eyes even more. A sacred oath broken?

Lady Aisha, sighs and continues on with her words. 

_“The years go by._

_A baby grows into a girl._

_She watches her mother unravel._

_The little girl watches with contempt,_

_As her mother opens another bottle._

_The starlet drinks away her pain._

_She doesn’t think of the consequences._

_The little girl pays for her mother’s actions.”_

Sasuke, narrows his eyes even more. Lady Aisha, takes a deep breath before continuing.

_“The god returns._

_He cannot contain his lust._

_The starlet is elated._

_In the heat of summer,_

_A baby is born._

_A sacred oath is broken twice._

_The god leaves again._

_The starlet’s mind slowly breaks.”_

Sasuke's eyes widen. A sacred oath broken twice? Lady Aisha, breathes in deep. She continues on. 

_“Above the clouds, a goddess seethes with rage._

_Her husband has betrayed her yet again._

_No more affairs with mortal women,_

_her husband had promised her._

_No more half-blood children,_

_her husband had promised her.”_

Sasuke, narrows his eyes. Lady Aisha, breathes in again. She continues on. 

_“The years go by._

_A baby boy becomes an adventurous toddler._

_He is loved by his sister._

_His mother wallows in her misery._

_One fateful day, everything changes._

_The little boy disappears, his fate unknown._

_His sister wallows in her grief._

_His mother forgets about him.”_  

Sasuke's eyes widen. Lady Aisha, takes another deep breath. She continues on. 

_“A girl runs away from her pain._

_She leaves her life behind._

_She finds comfort in her own kind._

_Yet she cannot forget the past._

_A past filled with lies and grief._

_She hides her tears.”_  

Sasuke, just sits there, trying to decipher the words. Lady Aisha, takes a deep breath and continues speaking. 

_“From one world to another,_

_the heir of fire and lightning arrives._

_To survive this cruel and unforgiving world,_

_she must master her eyes.”_  

Sasuke, blinks a few times. Lady Aisha, finally takes a deep breath and opens her eyes. 

“That is all I have to say.” Lady Aisha says. 

Sasuke, holds his head. “Your words were so confusing.” Sasuke says. “You lost me at ‘from one world to another’.” 

“I foresee that you shall have more dreams in the near future.” Lady Aisha says. “The answers will become clearer and clearer with each dream you have.” 

Sasuke, closes his eyes, taking in Lady Aisha’s words.

***************************************

Itachi, watches as Kisame munches on a roasted grouse thigh. A pile of bones sits next to Itachi’s feet. Itachi, just finished off his share of the grouse a few moments ago. 

Kisame, sighs as he throws the now bare bone to the ground. Kisame, grins as he grabs a canteen from his cloak. Kisame, takes two big gulps of water. 

“Ah!” Kisame says. “That sure hit the spot.” 

Itachi, does not say anything. He simply grabs a map from his cloak and starts looking at it. Kisame, raises a brow. 

“Itachi?” Kisame asks.  ****  
** **

Itachi, looks up from the map. “I was just thinking.” Itachi says. “I am sure that you remember that one abandoend village we often use for shelter.”  ****  
** **

Kisame, narrows his eyes. “Which village are you talking about?” Kisame asks. “We use a lot of abandoned villages for shelter.”  ****  
** **

“The one with the solar panels and wind turbines.” Itachi says.  ****  
** **

Kisame’s eyes widen. Then, Kisame grins. “Oh yeah, I like that village.” Kisame says. “It’s quite cozy.”  ****  
** **

Itachi, looks back down at the map. “My map tells me that we are close by that village.” Itachi says. “Perhaps we should use that village for shelter until we are given further assignments from Leader.”  ****  
** **

Kisame, grins. “I couldn’t agree more.” Kisame says. “I am tired of sleeping on the ground. Plus we’ll have hot water and electricity. I could use a nice hot shower. Plus there’s food!”  ****  
** **

Itachi, folds the map back up and places it inside his cloak. “As soon as the fire is out we shall head to the village.” Itachi says.  **  
**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can any of you figure out the meaning of lady Aisha's words? Who is she referring to?


	18. Unwelcome visitors

Thalia and Luke, enter the house. They are both grimy and dirty from cleaning the henhouse.  ****  
** **

Thalia, sighs. “I am so glad that is over.” Thalia says.  ****  
** **

“Yeah, but at least the henhouse is all clean.” Luke says. “Maybe the chickens will start laying eggs in it.”  ****  
** **

Annabeth, walks into the entryway. She has a big smile on her face.  ****  
** **

“I turned the area by the kitchen into a proper living room.” Annabeth says. “I also made us a dedicated bedroom!”  ****  
** **

Thalia and Luke look at one another and then back at Annabeth. “You did?” Luke asks.  ****  
** **

“Yeah.” Annabeth says. “Come and tell me what you think.”  ****  
** **

Annabeth, leads Thalia and Luke into the living area. Annabeth, points to a futon like object that appears to be able to fold. The object is open and half of it has been leaned against a wall. Annabeth, has made a sofa on the floor. A table with some pillows sits in front of the ‘sofa’. Thalia and Luke, look at some crates stacked up like bookshelves. The crates hold books and games. A basket of toys sits in one corner.  ****  
** **

“I made this area a place for us to relax in.” Annabeth says.  ****  
** **

Luke, looks around. “Where is our new dedicated bedroom?” Luke asks.  ****  
** **

Annabeth, points to hallway. “Follow me!” Annabeth says.  ****  
** **

Thalia and Luke follow Annabeth down the hallway. Annabeth, opens up some screenlike doors. The children’s futons are laid out in a large room. The room is set up a lot like the living room. However, instead of a sofa and table, there are futons.  ****  
** **

Annabeth, smiles. “What do you think?” Annabeth asks.  ****  
** **

Luke, smiles. “I like the idea of a dedicated living room and bedroom.” Luke says. “It makes the place feel more like a house.”  ****  
** **

“There’s more!” Annabeth says. “Look at what I found in here.”  ****  
** **

Annabeth, shows Thalia and Luke a part of a nearby wall with some screens. Annabeth, pulls back a screen to reveal a tunnel. Luke and Thalia, look at the tunnel with wide eyes.  ****  
** **

“It’s a secret tunnel.” Thalia says. “I wonder what it is for.”  ****  
** **

“I think it may be a special escape tunnel or something.” Annabeth says. “It leads outside. I also found more around the motel. Remember all the bad men we have encountered. If the world has more bad men like them, then I think the people who used to live here used these tunnels to escape whenever bad men came looking for trouble.”  ****  
** **

Luke and Thalia look at one another. “That sounds very plausible.” Thalia says. “Well, now we know we can escape if something bad happens.”  ****  
** **

Annabeth, puts the screen back over the tunnel. She gets up and leads Luke and Thalia out the bedroom. Annabeth, picks up a bottle of a viscous substance. The picture on the front of the bottle...is a dog.  ****  
** **

“I remembered that the building across from here looks like a pet store.” Annabeth says. “So, I ran across there really quick and grabbed some more stuff for Theia. I found dog shampoo! I also found dog collars!”  ****  
** **

Annabeth, holds up a pretty blue dog collar. “I like this collar.” Annabeth says. “It will match her eyes. I thought we could give Theia a bath and put this collar on her.”  ****  
** **

Luke and Thalia, look at one another. Sounds like a good idea. Theia, could probably use a bath.  ****  
** **

“Alright Annie,” Luke says. “Thalia and I need to shower first. Then, well eat lunch. After that...we shall give Theia a bath.”  ****  
** **

Annabeth, claps her hands. “Yay!” Annabeth says.  ****  
** **

*********************************************** ****  
** **

The sun is halfway below the horizon. In the Aoku village, the villagers are wrapping up their work for the day. Kakashi, Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke unload a cart of apples. Thanks to Naruto’s shadow clones, all of the apples have been harvested. The mission is complete. Tomorrow, Team Seven shall head back to the Hidden Leaf Village. ****  
** **

Hajimu, inspects the carts of apples. He smiles widely.  ****  
** **

“Excellent work!” Hajimu says. “I can’t thank all of you enough for helping my village.”  ****  
** **

Kakashi, smiles underneath his mask. “Our pleasure.” Kakashi says.  ****  
** **

Naruto, sighs. “Man, I’m glad that is over.” Naruto says.   ****  
** **

Hajimu, looks towards his house. “Reika, is cooking a special dinner as a thank you.” Hajimu says. “It will be ready in about twenty minutes.”  ****  
** **

Naruto’s stomach growls. Narruto, grins. “A special dinner you say!” Naruto says. “Well, count me in!”  ****  
** **

Naruto, runs towards the house.  ****  
** **

“Naruto!” Sakura yells. “Do you always have to run like that?!”  ****  
** **

Naruto, does not listen to Sakura. Naruto, runs into the house. Sakura, rolls her eyes, annoyed at Naruto’s antics. Sakura, starts walking towards the house. Kakashi, looks at Sasuke.  ****  
** **

“Let’s talk about what the soothsayer told you when you visited her earlier.” Kakashi, says. “When you returned earlier you said it was like a very long poem that didn’t make any sense. I’m all ears now. I would like to hear what the soothsayer said.”  ****  
** **

Sasuke, closes his eyes. He returned to the Aoku village right before lunch. Then, after lunch it was a race to get the rest of the apples harvested with Kakashi. Sasuke, didn’t have time earlier to discuss his visit with the soothsayer. However, now he does.  ****  
** **

“Alright.” Sasuke says. “However...you will probably be just as confused as I was.”  ****  
** **

***************************************** ****  
** **

Itachi and Kisame, pour some water onto the ashes of their fire. Kisame, grins.  ****  
** **

“Alright then, let’s get going.” Kisame says.  ****  
** **

Itachi and Kisame, prepare to leave the clearing. However, Itachi, stops and becomes alert. Kisame, quickly takes notice.  ****  
** **

“Itachi?” Kisame asks.  ****  
** **

Suddenly, Itachi, turns to Kisame. “Kisame, to your left!” Itachi says. “Look out!”  ****  
** **

Kisame, turns just in time to see a kunai come flying out from the trees towards him. Kisame, dodges the kunai just in time. Itachi, dodges a kunai as well. Eight masked individuals, jump out of the trees. Itachi, looks at the individuals.  ****  
** **

“Hunter-nin from the hidden Cloud village.” Itachi says.  ****  
** **

“I can see that!” Kisame says.  ****  
** **

The eight hunter nin, charge at once. The fight begins.  ****  
** **

***************************************** ****  
** **

The sun is three quarters below the horizon. Inside the motel, Thalia, Annabeth, and Luke are working on fixing their dinner. After taking their showers, Luke and Thalia, sat down with Annabeth to have lunch. Then, the three children worked on getting Theia bathed.  ****  
** **

Theia, is laying on the floor just outside the kitchen. The dogs fur is clean and white. All the grime that that was on her is gone. Theia, also wears a pretty blue collar.  ****  
** **

Thalia, loads some chopped veggies into a steamer basket. Thalia, sets the steamer basket into a pot with a little water on the bottom. Thalia, puts the lid on the pot. Nearby, a pot of potatoes sits on another burner. The motel kitchen happens to have two stoves and ovens. There is plenty of room to cook.  ****  
** **

Annabeth, fills a pot with some peeled and chopped apples. The apples are from the orchard that the children raided a few days ago. Annabeth, pours a little water into the pot, just enough to keep the apples from sticking to the bottom of the pot while they cook. The children are planning to make applesauce to go with their roasted grouse. Annabeth, puts the lid on the pot and turns on the burner.  ****  
** **

The children step back to let the food cook. Thalia, Luke, and Annabeth look at one another.  ****  
** **

“What else should we have with the roast grouse?” Annabeth asks.  ****  
** **

Luke, looks at the bread which is sitting in a basket on the counter. “We can have bread with butter and fruit preserves.” Luke says.  ****  
** **

Thalia, looks at a small pot. “Why don’t we attempt to make a sauce for the grouse?” Thalia says. “Maybe some butter and herbs.”  ****  
** **

Annabeth’s eyes widen. “Oh yes, let’s make a sauce!” Annabeth says.  ****  
** **

Luke and Thalia smile. This is going to be a grand dinner.  ****  
** **

******************************************* ****  
** **

Kakashi and Sasuke, sit outside on the veranda of Hajimu’s house. Kakashi, rubs his chin thoughtfully as he thinks of what Sasuke, just told him. ****  
** **

“That is very confusing indeed.” Kakashi says.  ****  
** **

Sasuke, sighs. “I knew that you would not understand it.” Sasuke says.  ****  
** **

Sasuke, gets up and opens the shogi screen. “I am tired.” Sasuke says. “I am going to bed.”  ****  
** **

Sasuke, disappears into the house, leaving Kakashi alone on the veranda. Kakashi, looks at the rising moon. He thinks about the last words the soothsayer told Sasuke.  ****  
** **

_ From one world to another,  _ Kakashi thinks.  _ The heir of fire and lightning arrives. To survive this cruel and unforgiving world, she must master her eyes. _ ****  
** **

Kakashi, blinks. From one world to another, the heir of fire and lightning arrives. What is that supposed to mean? ****  
** **

Kakashi, eventually just shakes his head. There is time to think more about the words later. Kakashi, gets up and back inside the house. He figures that him and the rest of team seven should head to bed early tonight. It will be quite a walk to return to Konoha tomorrow. ****  
** **

*************************************** ****  
** **

Thalia, Luke, and Annabeth stare at the delicious spread of food that they just made. Annabeth, licks her lips.  ****  
** **

“What are we waiting for?!” Annabeth says. “Let’s eat!”  ****  
** **

Theia, lets out a bark. Annabeth, smiles and grabs a plate of food from the counter.  ****  
** **

“Of course we didn’t forget you Theia.” Annabeth says. Annabeth, sets the plate in front of Theia. Theia, starts to chow down.  ****  
** **

Annabeth, Luke, and Thalia sit down at the table. Luke, sits at the head. Thalia and Annabeth, each sit on one side, right next to Luke. Luke, begins cutting some meat off of the grouse and distributing the meat among the children’s plates. Thalia and Annabeth, fill the plates with sides.  ****  
** **

Luke, takes a bite of the grouse. His eyes widen. “So tender and juicy.” Luke says after he chews and swallows.  ****  
** **

Thalia, eats a bite of grouse too. “So good.” Thalia says. “It tastes so much like roasted chicken.”  ****  
** **

Annabeth, swallows her bite down. “Yeah!” Annabeth says with a smile.  ****  
** **

Luke, grabs a saucepan full of fragrant herb and butter sauce. The children made the sauce by making a roux with some flour and butter. Then, once the roux was made, the children added more butter, some garlic, herbs, salt, pepper, and some canned chicken broth that they found in the pantry.  ****  
** **

Luke, spoons some of the sauce onto his grouse, potatoes, and veggies. Luke, passes the sauce around so that Thalia and Annabeth can use it. Luke, takes a bite of grouse with the sauce on it.  ****  
** **

“Hmm…,” Luke says. “This grouse with the sauce is even better.”  ****  
** **

Thalia, takes a bite of veggies with sauce. “This sauce goes great on vegetables too.” Thalia says.  ****  
** **

Annabeth, eats some mashed potatoes with the sauce. “The sauce goes great on potatoes too!” Annabeth says. “It’s like eating mashed potatoes with gravy.”  ****  
** **

Luke, takes a bite of applesauce. “This applesauce is great too.” Luke says. “Nice and sweet, but not too sweet. And that little pinch of cinnamon is fantastic.”  ****  
** **

“Yeah.” Thalia says.  ****  
** **

Annabeth, smiles. “This dinner is the most delicious that I have had in a long time!” Annabeth says.  ****  
** **

Luke, Thalia, and Annabeth look at the table again. Besides the grouse, potatoes, veggies and applesauce there are other dishes as well. There is a bowl full of chopped salad greens and berries. There is a platter full of buttered bread slices, slathered with fruit preserves.  ****  
** **

Luke, smiles to himself as he eats. He looks at Annabeth and Thalia, who are both eating happily. As long as the children can successfully continue to steal food, hunt and fish, they will have bread, milk, butter, meat and fish. As long as the chickens continue to produce eggs, the children shall have eggs for breakfast. As long as the gardens continue to produce well, the children shall have an abundance of fruit and vegetables. Luke, Thalia, Annabeth and Theia will be able to eat like this every day, for every meal. This is just the life that Luke imagined for himself, Thalia, and Annabeth. They even have a dog. Their very own dog. Things are finally turning around for the demigods.  ****  
** **

Luke, picks up his glass full of cherry soda. Thalia and Annabeth, also have glasses of soda.  ****  
** **

Luke, holds up the glass. “Let me propose a toast to our new life.” Luke says with a smile. “The three of us have had it rough. But now...we have a brand new life together. Cheers!”  ****  
** **

Thalia and Annabeth smile together. They hold up their glasses.  ****  
** **

“Cheers!” Thalia and Annabeth say as they hold up their glasses of soda.  ****  
** **

Theia, yawns and lays down beside Annabeth. Theia, is done with her supper. Luke, Thalia, and Annabeth, continue to eat their supper. Unfortunately, little do the young demigods know, they are about to have some unwelcome guests. ****  
** **

******************************************** ****  
** **

Itachi and Kisame, walk down the road. They arrive at a gate leading into a village. Kisame, grins.  ****  
** **

“Here we are.” Kisame says. “Hot showers here we come.”  ****  
** **

Itachi, says nothing. He simply follows Kisame into the village. After the two Akatsuki members eliminated those hidden cloud village hunter nin, they disposed of the bodies and went on their way. Now, they have arrived at their destination.  ****  
** **

Kisame, grins as he enters the house that him and Itachi prefer to stay in. Kisame, turns to Itachi. “I’m gonna head for the showers.” Kisame says.  ****  
** **

“I will go across the street, like I usually do.” Itachi says.  ****  
** **

Kisame, does not say anything. He closes the door behind him. Itachi, turns and heads for the house across the street. Itachi, slides the door open. Itachi, turns on the light and closes the door behind him. Itachi, walks down a hallway and opens a door leading into a bathroom. Itachi, then goes to the hallway closet, to grab a towel. Itachi, opens the closet door up. His eyes widen instantly. The closet is completely devoid of towels. There is no shampoo and no conditioner either. Itachi, narrows his eyes.  ****  
** **

_ That is strange…, _ Itachi thinks to himself.  _ There were towels and bottles of shampoo and conditioner when Kisame and I were here last. Someone else has been here since our last visit. Oh well, I shall find some towels, shampoo and conditioner somewhere else then. _ ****  
** **

Itachi, walks back down the hallway. He is greeted by Kisame, whom is standing in the entryway. Kisame, has a sour look on his face.  ****  
** **

“Itachi, someone took all of the towels, shampoo, and conditioner!” Kisame says.  ****  
** **

Itachi, narrows his eyes. “What a coincidence.” Itachi says. “All of the towels, shampoo and conditioner is missing in this house as well.”  ****  
** **

Kisame, then narrows his own eyes. “I guess we are gonna have to find towels in another house then.” Kisame says.  ****  
** **

Itachi, looks down the hallway that leads into the rest of the house. He walks over to some light switches and turns on some lights. Kisame, looks at Itachi curiously.  ****  
** **

“Itachi?” Kisame says questioningly.  ****  
** **

Itachi, turns to his partner. “I am wondering if anything else is missing from this house.” Itachi says. “I am gonna have a look around.”  ****  
** **

Kisame’s eyes widen as if he just thought of something. Kisame, runs past Itachi and down the hallway. Itachi, follows Kisame. Soon, Kisame, lets out an angry yell.  ****  
** **

“WHAT GIVES?!” Kisame says with an angry voice. “THE FOOD TO?!”  ****  
** **

Itachi, finds Kisame in the kitchen. Kisame, is standing in a completely empty pantry. Kisame, turns to Itachi with eyes full of anger.  ****  
** **

“Someone took all of the food to!” Kisame says.  ****  
** **

Itachi, narrows his eyes. “I wonder if the same is true in all of the houses.” Itachi says. “Come on, let’s go and check things out.”  ****  
** **

********************************************** ****  
** **

Luke, Thalia, and Annabeth busily put away the freshly washed supper dishes. The children even have leftovers for tomorrow. The leftovers are in the fridge. Annabeth, sighs.  ****  
** **

“Supper was so yummy.” Annabeth says. “But cooking is a long and hard chore.”  ****  
** **

Thalia, sighs. “Yeah it is.” Thalia says. “But it was worth the time and effort in the end.”  ****  
** **

“Yeah.” Luke says. Luke, then yawns as he puts away the last pot.  ****  
** **

“Man, I am tired.” Luke says. “I think it’s time to call it a night.”  ****  
** **

Annabeth, puts away the last plate. She yawns as well. “Yeah.” Annabeth says. “I could use some z’s.”  ****  
** **

Thalia, puts away the last drinking glass. “Yeah.” Thalia says. “I could use some sleep as well.”  ****  
** **

Annabeth, happily skips over to the staircase and heads upstairs to the bathroom to brush her teeth. Thalia and Luke follow silently. They head to the bathroom, where Annabeth is already brushing her teeth. Thalia and Luke, grab their toothbrushes and start brushing their teeth. Theia, sits in the doorway and watches them.  ****  
** **

After a few minutes, the children are done and rinse their mouths out. They head back downstairs with Theia following right behind them. Thalia’s eyes widen when she remembers something. She didn’t discuss her latest dream with Luke and Annabeth.  ****  
** **

“Hey you guys, I just remembered something.” Thalia says as her, Luke, and Annabeth reach the bottom of the stairs.  ****  
** **

Luke’s eyes widen. “Oh yeah you didn’t.” Luke says. “You feel like talking about it now?”  ****  
** **

Thalia, sighs. “Yeah.” Thalia says.  ****  
** **

Luke, Annabeth, and Thalia, head to the bedroom that Annabeth created for them earlier. The three demigods sit down on their futons. Theia, walks over to her futon and lays down. Theia, curls up into a ball and closes her eyes.  ****  
** **

Luke, looks at Thalia, expectantly. “Alright, the two of us are listening.” Luke says. “Tell us about your latest dream.”  ****  
** **

Thalia, sighs and begins telling her friends of what happened in her last dream.  ****  
** **

***************************************** ****  
** **

Itachi, watches as Kisame, looks through yet another empty pantry. Kisame, grumbles as he turns back to Itachi.  ****  
** **

“There is still no food!” Kisame says with an annoyed voice. “Someone ate it all!”  ****  
** **

Itachi, narrows his eyes. “We haven’t even looked through half of the village.” Itachi says. “Let’s keep looking.”  ****  
** **

Itachi and Kisame, exit the house and stand in the street. Kisame, comes up with a brilliant idea. He creates five shadow clones. The shadow clones spread out and start searching houses. Itachi, immediately gets the idea and creates four shadow clones of his own. Itachi’s clones spread out and start searching through buildings as well. After ten minutes the two Akatsuki members diffuse their clones. All around the village, pops are heard. Kisame, looks at Itachi.  ****  
** **

“All of the food is gone.” Kisame says. “This really sucks.”  ****  
** **

Itachi, looks at Kisame. “Not only is the food gone…,” Itachi begins. “So are the towels, bottles of shampoo and conditioner, bars of soap and cleaning items.”  ****  
** **

Itachi, then looks to the left and notices that there is a building that him and Kisame haven’t looked through yet. It is an abandoned motel. Itachi, looks at Kisame.  ****  
** **

“We haven’t looked through this building yet.” Itachi says. “Let’s go check it out.”  ****  
** **

Kisame and Itachi, approach the motel and open the door. The smell hits them almost immediately. Someone has been cooking in this building recently. Kisame, looks at Itachi.  ****  
** **

“You do smell that right?” Kisame asks.  ****  
** **

“Yes…,” Itachi states with an unemotional voice. “Someone has been cooking in here.”  ****  
** **

“Not just that…,” Kisame says. “ _ What _ exactly do you smell? What type of food do you smell?” ****  
** **

Itachi, narrows his eyes and sniffs again. His eyes widen. He realizes what Kisame is referring to. The smell is roasted bird. Roasted grouse to be exact.  ****  
** **

“I smell roasted grouse.” Itachi says. ****  
** **

“It has to be our stolen grouse!” Kisame says. “Let’s go check it out.”   ****  
** **

Then, out of the corner of his eyes, Itachi spots something. By the step up into the rest of the motel, are three pairs of strange looking shoes. Itachi, narrows his eyes. He feels like he should recognize those shoes. However, Itachi, just shakes his head and follows Kisame into the lounge area. Itachi, looks around at all of the rearranged furniture. This place has been cleaned and rearranged recently.  ****  
** **

Kisame, enters the kitchen and opens the pantry door. The pantry is full of food. Kisame, looks at Itachi with an annoyed look.  ****  
** **

“Will ya look at that.” Kisame says. “This is where all of the food went.”  ****  
** **

Kisame, then opens the door to the refrigerator. Kisame, takes out a platter with a half eaten grouse on it.  ****  
** **

“This is our stolen grouse, I just know it is.” Kisame says with a voice full of anger. “The thief has to be in here somewhere. Oh, when I get my hands on that dirty thief, he or she is going to be sorry!”  ****  
** **

Itachi, just blinks and looks down towards a dog bowl filled with water. Then, Itachi, spots a tuft of white fur on the floor. It finally hits him. Those three strange children and their dog. They must be living here. And...they stole his and Kisame’s grouse last night.  ****  
** **

Suddenly, a noise comes from down an adjacent hallway. Kisame, looks at Itachi and starts down the hallway. Itachi, silently follows his partner down the hallway.  ****  
** **

******************************************** ****  
** **

Luke and Annabeth, look at Thalia, with wide eyes. Thalia, sighs as she finishes explaining her dream.  ****  
** **

“Then I woke up.” Thalia says.  ****  
** **

Luke, crosses his arms. “The baby had your mother’s eyes?” Luke asks.  ****  
** **

Thalia, sighs. “Yeah.” Thalia says. “In fact she looked just like my mother.”  ****  
** **

Annabeth, blinks. “Remember what we were saying about one of Thalia’s mortal ancestors originating from this world?” Annabeth asks. “I was just thinking, maybe that baby is Thalia’s mortal ancestor. That baby must be the link between Thalia and this world.”  ****  
** **

Luke’s eyes widen. “You might be right Annabeth.” Luke says.  ****  
** **

Thalia, closes her eyes. If that baby is her mortal ancestor...then that means…. ****  
** **

However, Thalia, does not get to finish her thoughts. Theia, sits up and lets out a low growl. Theia, gets up and sits in front of the door. Thalia, Luke, and Annabeth all look at one another.  ****  
** **

“What is wrong with Theia?” Annabeth asks.  ****  
** **

Luke’s eyes widen. “Do you hear that?” Luke whispers. “It sounds like footsteps to me.”  ****  
** **

Annabeth and Thalia, both listen closely. They can hear it to. Annabeth’s eyes widen.  ****  
** **

“Oh gods...,” Annabeth whispers with a frightened voice. “There is  _ someone _ in the motel.”  ****  
** **

Thalia, blinks. She knows one thing for sure. Her, Luke, Annabeth, and Theia have unwelcome guests in their  _ house _ . Very unwelcome guests. ****  
** **

Luke, looks to where his golf club is. Luke, gets up and silently retrieves his weapon. The footsteps are coming down the hallway now. The footsteps are headed right for the children’s bedroom. Luke, stands bravely in front of the door. The door suddenly slides open.  ****  
** **

Luke, swings his golf club. “FACE THE WRATH OF MY ALMIGHTY GOLF CLUB!” Luke yells. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, a cliffhanger! What do you think will happen in the next chapter?


	19. Scarred

Kisame, yells out in pain as a hard object collides with his head. The missing nin was certainly not expecting to be met with a whack to the head, when he opened the door. Kisame, yells out and looks furiously at the person who whacked him. Kisame’s eyes widen. The person who whacked him, is a teenage boy. The boy has sandy blond hair, cerulean blue eyes, and fair skin. The boy is wearing a white shirt and strange blue pants. Strange white pieces of fabric cover the boy’s feet. The boy is holding a strange object. 

The boy’s eyes widen when he sees Kisame. “Ah!” The boy yells as he backs away. “Thalia! Annabeth! We are under attack from a mutant sharkman!” 

Kisame’s eyes widen as he launches himself forward. “I’ll get you brat!” Kisame yells. “Call me ‘mutant sharkman’ again and I’ll rip your head off!” 

Kisame, glances to the left and sees two young girls sitting on futons. The eyes of both girls are wide as saucers. The boy, swings the object he is holding again and almost hits Kisame in the head. Kisame, dodges and grabs Samehada off of his back. 

“I’ll chop you to ribbons brat!” Kisame says. 

Suddenly Kisame hears a vicious growl, followed by a loud bark. Kisame, turns to see a white dog, lunge at him. The dog bites down hard on Kisame’s left leg. Kisame, yells with rage as he tries to shake the dog off his leg. 

“You stupid mutt!” Kisame yells. “I’ll chop you to ribbons to!” 

The boy then whacks Kisame in the abdomen with the strange object. Kisame, gasps. 

“Yeah!” The boy yells with a triumphant smirk. “We are really getting him now Theia!”  

Itachi, steps into the room a few moments later. Itachi’s eyes widen at the spectacle in front of him. It is Luke and Theia the dog. Luke, is whacking Kisame with a strange weapon. Theia, is viciously attacking Kisame’s legs. Itachi, narrows his eyes. Where are Thalia and Annabeth? 

Two soft gasps come from the left. Itachi, looks to see two girls. It is Thalia and Annabeth. 

Annabeth, stares at Itachi with wide eyes. Annabeth, looks back and forth between Itachi and Thalia.  _ He has the same red eyes as Thalia! _ Annabeth thinks to herself. 

Thalia’s eyes are wide with shock. Thalia’s breath becomes hitched. She stares at the man in front of her. It...it is the man from her dreams. Itachi Uchiha.  _ I can’t believe it…, _ Thalia thinks.  _ It is Itachi. What is going on? _

“Itachi!” Kisame yells out. Kisame, is on the ground now. “Help me out will ya?!” 

Annabeth, gasps and stares at Itachi.  _ Itachi…, _ Annabeth thinks.  _ Itachi Uchiha? The man from Thalia’s dreams? What is going on? _

Luke, is thinking the same thing as Annabeth. _ Itachi Uchiha?! _ Luke thinks.  _ What is this? _

Thalia, blinks a few times. “Itachi...Uchiha…,” Thalia says. Thalia, closes her eyes. Then when she opens them, Itachi’s eyes widen with shock. Annabeth, gasps as well. 

“Thalia!” Annabeth says. “You’re eyes are red again!” 

Itachi, just looks at Thalia with eyes full of shock and disbelief.  _ Sharingan…, _ Itachi thinks.  _ That should be impossible. Madara and I killed all of the other Uchiha’s except for Sasuke. How can this girl have sharingan? How could we have missed one? _

Itachi, closes his eyes and thinks for a few minutes. It doesn’t matter now. There is only one way that Itachi can remedy the situation. Itachi, opens his eyes and reaches into his cloak. Itachi, pulls out his katana. 

**************************************************

Jarou, and his relatives are gathered around the well. Rina, holds her hand over the water. After a few minutes, Rina, sighs and retracts her hand. Rina, gives her relatives sad looks. 

“I have checked the entire US.” Rina says. “I even checked the rest of the world, just in case Thalia and her friends somehow got transported to another country. I just cannot find them.” 

Rina’s cousin Korra, sighs. Korra, has gray hair and ultramarine blue eyes. “We have searched for many days.” Korra says. “And as all of you know, when we cannot find a person for many days, it usually means one thing.” 

All of the people gathered around the well hang their heads down. They know what Korra is saying. Rina, sighs. 

“It is time to face the inevitable truth.” Rina says. “Young Thalia and her friends are dead.” 

A man looks at Rina. “Can’t you check the Underworld?” The man asks. “If Thalia and her friends are dead, then their souls should be in the underworld.” 

Rina, looks away. “I know that I should.” Rina says. “But...I just can’t bring myself to do so. As all of you know, Hades, would torture Thalia’s soul for eternity. I don’t think I could bear the sight of Thalia’s soul being tortured.” 

Korra, takes a deep breath. “Due to the circumstances, it is highly likely that Thalia is dead.” Korra says. “We should suspend our search for the girl, unless we find proof that the girl is alive. This whole process has been exhausting on all of us. I hate to say it...but it is time to move on.”  

Rina, lets out a sigh. “You are right Korra.” Rina says. “It is time to give up.” 

Jarou, closes his eyes and turns away. Tsukiko, stands nearby. Her eyes are sad as she watches the exchange. 

******************************************

Luke, Annabeth and Theia sit behind some shrubbery and tall grass and bamboo stalks. Thalia, lays on the ground. Luke, has Thalia’s head in his lap. Thalia, is unconscious and a bloody slash is visible on her right side. Annabeth’s eyes are watery as she lifts the right side of Thalia’s shirt a little bit. Annabeth, gasps and covers her mouth. Tears start to fill the little girl’s eyes. 

“That wound is bad.” Annabeth says. “Really bad.” 

Luke’s eyes widen as he looks at the wound. “You’re right Annabeth.” Luke says. “That wound is definitely going to leave a scar.” 

Luke, then looks down at Thalia’s face. Thalia’s eyes are closed. Her breathing is shallow and haggard. Luke, closes his eyes as he thinks of how Thalia received the wound. 

_ Luke, watches as Itachi pulls out a long sword. Thalia’s eyes widen and Annabeth gasps. Luke’s eyes widen as well.  _

_ Itachi looks straight at Thalia as he approaches her, sword in hand.  _

_ “I don’t know how you have sharingan…,” Itachi says with a monotone voice. “I thought that I had wiped out my clan years ago. However, you are proof that I didn’t. Now, I can fix my mistake.”  _

_ Thalia’s eyes widen with horror as Itachi,raises his sword. Annabeth, grabs Thalia’s arm and pulls her friend out of the way. Itachi’s sword strikes the floor.  _

_ “Thalia, he wants to kill you!” Annabeth cries. “You have to get out of here!”  _

_ Luke, gives the sharkman another whack with his golf club and rushes over. Luke, raises his golf club and tries to strike Itachi. Itachi, turns and dodges just in time.  _

_ This snaps Thalia out of her shock, prompting Thalia to get up and attempt to make a run for it. Itachi, notices Thalia, trying to escape and rushes towards her to stop her. Itachi, corners Thalia and swings his sword again. The sword slashes Thalia’s right side. Thalia, screams in pain as she falls to the floor.  _

_ “THALIA!” Annabeth screams.  _

_ Luke’s eyes widen with absolute rage. Luke, swings his golf club again. Luke, runs to stop Itachi from dealing another, probably fatal blow.   _

_ “Itachi!” The sharkman yells. “Behind you!”  _

_ Itachi, turns only to get a whack to the head. Itachi, stumbles back and clutches the left side of his head.  _

_ Thalia, looks up from her bleeding wound and narrows her eyes. Thalia’s hands light up with lightning.  _

_ “Luke, Annabeth get back!” Thalia says with urgency.  _

_ Luke and Annabeth get to the other side of the room. They know what this means. Thalia, shoots lightning out of her left hand, which strikes Itachi. Itachi’s body trembles slightly before he falls to the floor, unconscious.  _

_ “Itachi!” The sharkman yells.  _

_ Thalia, grimaces and prepares to shoot electricity at the sharkman as well. Annabeth, whistles for Theia, who stops attacking the sharkman and runs over to Annabeth. Thalia, shoots electricity at the sharkman who screams in pain before he falls to the floor. Thalia, Luke, Annabeth, and Theia look at the two unconscious men. Annabeth, takes the cover off of the entrance into the escape tunnel.  _

_ “Hurry!” Annabeth says with wide eyes. “Let’s get out of here before they wake up!”  _

_ Just then, Itachi’s body stirs slightly. Thalia, Luke and Annabeth gasp. Annabeth crawls into the tunnel with Theia following right behind her. Luke, grabs Thalia’s arm and pulls her over to the tunnel.  _

_ “Wait for us!” Luke says. Luke, crawls into the tunnel.  _

_ Thalia, grimaces and hobbles back to futon to grab her sword. Thalia, crawls in after Luke, leaving bloody handprints behind as she crawls. Once at the end of the tunnel, Luke and Thalia, crawl out into open space. Annabeth and Theia, are waiting for them. Luke, looks around. The group is outside the motel. The forest is a few feet away.  _

_ “Come on, let’s get out of here!” Annabeth says as she points towards the forest.  _

_ “Good thinking!” Luke says. “Come on Thalia.”  _

_ Thalia, puts a hand on her bleeding wound. “You don’t have to tell me twice.” Thalia says.  _

_ Luke, Annabeth, and Theia run into the forest. Thalia, lags behind. Running while holding a hand to one’s side is not an easy task. _

Luke, opens his eyes and looks up at the sky. After the children ran for a bit, they eventually came to this sheltered spot. Thalia, collapsed and passed out. Luke, looks down at the wound. Thalia, probably passed out from blood loss. 

Annabeth, looks at Luke. “Luke, that man who did this to Thalia...his name was Itachi.” Annabeth says. “Just like from Thalia’s dreams.” 

Luke, sighs. “I know.” Luke says. “And, did you hear what he said? ‘I thought that I had wiped out my clan years ago. However, you are proof that I didn’t. Now, I can fix my mistake _.’ _ ” 

Annabeth’s eyes widen. “Yeah…,” Annabeth says. “And, when he saw Thalia’s eyes, he looked so surprised and shocked. Then, he said something about Thalia having ‘sharingan’. Maybe that’s what the redness in Thalia’s eyes is supposed to be called. Sharingan.” 

Luke, nods. “You’re probably right Annie.” Luke says. “And...if Itachi said something about his clan after he saw Thalia’s eyes, then the sharingan must be related to genetics.” 

“Maybe the sharingan is a trait that only people related to Itachi have.” Annabeth says. “You know, like a family trait.” 

Luke, looks down at Thalia. “That means Thalia and Itachi are somehow related.” Luke says. 

Annabeth’s eyes well up with more tears. “Itachi said ‘I thought that I had wiped out my clan years ago _ ’.”  _ Annabeth says. “Itachi, must have killed off his entire clan if he said that. He tried to kill Thalia, all because she is related to him!”  __

Annabeth, sniffles as tears run down her face as she looks at Thalia’s unconscious form. “Luke, I’m scared.” Annabeth says. “What if Thalia doesn’t wake up? After all, she did lose a  _ lot _ of blood.” 

Luke, looks down at Thalia’s face. She needs help. But...where can they find help? 

Just then, Theia starts growling. Luke and Annabeth, both blink and look around. Luke, can hear noises coming from the left portion of the forest. Luke and Annabeth, look at each other with alarm. What if it is Itachi and his sharkman friend? What will Luke and Annabeth do then? 

Luke, narrows his eyes and reaches for his golf club. However, after a few minutes, Theia stops growling. The vegetation rustles until four figures appear. Luke and Annabeth’s eyes widen. Two more figures suddenly appear. It is a group of children of various ages. The oldest looks to be thirteen, while the youngest looks to be no older than nine. 

The oldest child approaches along with another child. The oldest is a girl with bright blood red hair and pine green eyes. Luke and Annabeth, have never seen those hair and eye colors before. Well, this is a different world after all. The hair and eye colors must be different in this world. Heck, the sharkman had blue hair along with gills! 

The other child is also a girl. The girl looks to be twelve and has bright orange hair, and blue-green eyes. Luke, looks past the two girls. He can see four other children staring at him and his friends. There is one girl and three boys. The girl looks to be around eleven and has violet hair and teal eyes. The older two boys look to be around ten. One boy has black hair, dark brown eyes, and light olive skin. The other boy has black hair and hazel eyes. The youngest child is a boy with black hair and blue-grey eyes. 

The orange haired and red haired girl simply look at Thalia, Luke, Annabeth and Theia with strange looks. Annabeth, is the first to speak. “Can you help us?” Annabeth asks. “You see, my friends and I were attacked by two mean men wearing black coats and one of them hurt Thalia. Please help—”

However, Annabeth doesn’t finish her sentence. The eyes of both girls widen instantly and they both gasp. The other children gasp as well. The two girls run back to the group of mysterious children and exchange a few inaudible words with them. The children then run away, leaving Luke, Annabeth, Thalia and Theia in the sheltered area. 

“Wait!” Annabeth calls as she gets up and starts running after the children. However, the children disappear from sight.

Annabeth, sighs and goes back to the sheltered area. Annabeth, sits down by Luke. “They’re gone.” Annabeth says sadly. “I really thought they would help us.” 

Luke, blinks and looks down sadly at Thalia. “I did too.” Luke says. 

Luke and Annabeth, sit in the sheltered area. Luke, continues to hold Thalia’s head in his lap. 

***************************************************

Itachi, holds a cold rag to his head. Kisame, sits nearby and holds a cold rag to his own head. The two men woke up to discover that the children and their dog had escaped out a tunnel. They would have followed but the tunnel was not big enough for the two Akatsuki members to crawl through. Besides, the two criminals had to tend to their aching heads. 

Kisame, grimaces as he feels his head. “Man, whatever it was that kid was holding, it sure did hurt.” Kisame says. “Man, and that girl, she almost zapped us to death!” 

Itachi, doesn’t respond. Kisame, then remembers a critical detail. “Hey Itachi…,” Kisame says. “That girl who zapped us...she had sharingan.” 

“Yes…,” Itachi says with a monotone voice. “Yes she did.” 

“I don’t get it,” Kisame says. “You wiped out the entire Uchiha clan. How is that possible?” 

“I did wipe out the Uchiha clan except for myself...and my younger brother.” Itachi says. “At least...I thought I did. Apparently...I missed one.” 

Itachi, then closes his eyes. “It is strange though,” Itachi muses. “I did see those children a few days ago. They were raiding an apple orchard. The same orchard where I got our apples.” 

Kisame’s eyes widen. “Really?” Kisame asks. 

Itachi, closes his eyes. “Those children have such strange names.” Itachi says. “And the girl with the sharingan, her eye color just seems wrong for an Uchiha. Everyone in my clan had dark eyes. That girl...she had blue eyes.” 

Kisame’s eyes widen. “Wait... your dreams.” Kisame says. “The girl you had sex with, she had blue eyes!” 

Itachi, narrows his eyes. “Sakiko and that girl don’t have the exact same shade of blue eyes.” Itachi says. “Besides, if I had fathered a child with Sakiko, then the child would be no more than four right now. That girl had to be at least twelve.” 

Kisame, narrows his eyes. “Hmm, I guess you are right.” Kisame says. 

Itachi, looks back towards the room that the children were in. Itachi, gets up and walks down the hallway towards the room. Itachi, returns a minute later with a backpack. Thalia’s backpack to be exact. Kisame, narrows his eyes when he sees the backpack. 

“Itachi?” Kisame says with a confused tone. “Where did that bag come from?” 

“I remember that the children were carrying backpacks when I first saw them in that orchard.” Itachi says. “This backpack belongs to the girl with the sharingan. I am going to look through it, see if I can find any clues.” 

Itachi, unzips the bag and looks inside. Itachi, begins taking stuff out. Itachi, takes out a few pairs of clothes and some packages in foil wrapper. Itachi and Kisame look at the packages. There is strange writing on the foil. Kisame, grumbles. 

“That writing is strange.” Kisame says. 

Itachi, then takes out an old toothbrush, some first aid supplies and a can of soda. The writing on the can of soda is strange as well. Finally, Itachi, pulls the last thing out of the bag. It is a little stuffed eagle plush. Kisame, narrows his eyes. 

“Girl seems to be a little old for stuffed animals.” Kisame says. 

Itachi, looks to see compartments within the bag, with zippers. “There are compartments within the bag.” Itachi says. 

Itachi, unzips every compartment, mostly finding useless things. Then, Itachi unzips the biggest compartment. There is a piece of paper inside the compartment. Itachi, takes out the piece of paper. It is a picture. Itachi, looks at the picture and his eyes widen instantly. 

“Itachi?” Kisame asks curiously. “What is it?” 

Itachi, lays the picture out on the table for Kisame to see. Kisame’s eyes widen. The picture is of the girl with the sharingan, just younger. But...that isn’t all. There is a little boy in the picture as well. 

Itachi and Kisame, examine the picture carefully. The girl looks to be at least eight years old. The boy can’t be more than two at the most. The boy and girl both share the same electric blue eyes. The children are obviously siblings. Itachi, narrows his eyes as he studies the little boy’s features. 

_ Electric blue eyes…, _ Itachi thinks to himself.  _ Blond hair. Sakiko’s blonde hair. _

Itachi, sets the picture down. “The girl has a younger brother,” Itachi says. 

“Or maybe  _ had  _ a younger brother.” Kisame says as he looks at the picture. “There wasn’t a little boy with those three brats. The fact that the girl is carrying this stuff around probably means that something must have happened to her brother. This eagle must be sentimental to her. Probably one of the last things left of her little brother.” 

Itachi, looks at the picture again. The boy looks even less like an Uchiha. And...Itachi doesn’t recognize the background at all. This picture wasn’t taken in the Uchiha clan compound...that’s for sure. 

Itachi, then unzips the last compartment. Itachi, fishes out two golden coins. Kisame’s eyes widen when he sees the coins. 

“Coins?” Kisame asks. 

Itachi, looks at the coins. The coins have strange symbols stamped on them. “These coins don’t look like any coins that I have ever seen before.” Itachi states. 

Kisame, looks at the coins. “Those coins definitely have some gold in them.” Kisame says. “I am going to run a couple of tests. Hold on.” 

Kisame, goes over to the kitchen sink and fills two glasses with water. Kisame, brings the glasses over to the table. Kisame, rubs each coin vigorously. Kisame, looks at his hand. 

“Pure gold doesn’t leave any discoloration, so this is very intriguing.” Kisame says. 

Kisame, then drops a coin into each glass of water. Both coins sink immediately to the bottoms of the glasses. Kisame’s eyes widen. “Pure gold sinks.” Kisame says. “Very interesting.” 

Kisame, then goes over and dumps the glasses of water into the sink. Kisame, fishes the coins out of the sink and dries them with a towel. Kisame, fishes a piece of unglazed ceramic out of his cloak and rubs each coin against the ceramic. Two golden streaks are now on the ceramic piece. Kisame, then fishes out a magnet and places the coins on the table. Kisame, holds the magnet above each coin. Neither coin budges. Kisame’s eyes widen. 

“Holy Kami, these coins are pure gold!” Kisame says. 

Itachi’s eyes widen. “Pure gold you say.” Itachi says. “Very strange indeed. What is a girl no older than twelve doing with pure gold coins?” 

Kisame, shrugs his shoulders. “Beats me.” Kisame says.  

Itachi, closes his eyes. Something is just not adding up. Itachi, looks back towards the hallway. Maybe he will find some more answers by looking in the bags belonging to Luke and Annabeth. Itachi, gets up and walks towards the hallway. Itachi, disappears down the hallway and returns five minutes later. Itachi, has Luke and Annabeth’s bags in his hands. Itachi, sets the bags down. 

“These bags belong to the two other children.” Itachi says. “We may find more answers by looking through these.” 

Kisame, nods. “Good idea.” Kisame says as he picks up the bigger bag. 

Itachi, opens the smaller bag. Itachi, takes out a couple pairs of clothes, and some food and water bottles. Itachi, fishes out a bottle filled with a purplish fluid. Itachi, sniffs the bottle. 

“Perfume.” Itachi says as he sets the bottle down. 

Itachi, then pulls out a few books with strange writing on them. “Books.” Itachi says. He opens them up and then quickly closes them back up. “I can’t read the writing. It almost looks like another language.” 

Kisame, fishes out a folded paper from the bag he is looking through. “This kind of looks like a map.” Kisame says. 

Kisame, opens up the map and looks at it. Kisame, looks at Itachi with a very confused look. “There is something weird about this map.” Kisame says. “It’s unlike any map I have ever seen. Look at it!” 

Kisame, sets the map down in front of Itachi, who studies it for himself. Itachi, blinks as he looks at the map. The map, has a landmass that Itachi doesn’t recognize. The landmass is divided into many sections, which don’t look like any countries that Itachi recognizes. 

Itachi, looks up from the map and keeps going through the bag he is holding. Itachi, takes out a stuffed owl. Then, Itachi takes out a knife. Kisame, also takes out a knife from the bag he is holding. Then, Kisame fishes out two golden coins. Kisame’s eyes widen. Itachi, also fishes out two coins. Kisame, quickly performs the same tests that he performed on the first two coins. The four other coins are also pure gold, shocking both missing nin. Kisame, then grins. 

“We have six pure gold coins!” Kisame says with a toothy grin. “Kakuzu is absolutely going to love this!” 

Kisame, places the coins into a bag. Itachi, looks at the picture of the girl and little blond haired boy. Itachi, places the picture into a pocket in his cloak. Itachi, then does the same with the stuffed eagle. 

 ********************************************

Luke, looks down at Thalia. Annabeth, sits next to him. Theia, lays nearby. Luke, smooths Thalia’s hair. Thalia, doesn’t even stir. Luke, blinks a few times. 

“Please Thalia…,” Luke whispers. “You have to be strong.” 

Annabeth, sniffles and looks away. “I can’t believe this is happening.” Annabeth says. 

Suddenly, a noise comes from the left side of the forest. Luke and Annabeth, look up. Theia, sits up alert, but she doesn’t growl. The vegetation rustles until two figures comes into view. It is the girl with the orange hair and the girl with the red hair. The other four children come into view as well. Luke, narrows his eyes. The children from earlier have returned. Why? 

Two ten year old boys carry something into the sheltered area. Luke’s eyes widen. It is a stretcher! The mysterious children are going to help them after all. 

The orange haired girl, walks up to them. “If your friend has any chance of surviving, you need to listen to us and do as we say.” The orange haired girl says. 

Luke and Annabeth look at one another and then back at the girl. “Ok…,” Luke says. 

The red haired girl, gestures towards the stretcher. “I need one of you to help me get her on the stretcher.” The girl says. 

Luke, immediately puts his hands underneath Thalia’s upper back. The red haired puts her hands under Thalia’s legs. Together, Luke and the red haired girl lift Thalia up and gently lay her on the stretcher. The orange haired girl, who is crouched next to the stretcher buckles Thalia to the stretcher. Thalia’s eyes flicker a little. Luke, strokes Thalia’s head.

“It’s gonna be alright Thalia.” Luke says. “We are gonna get you some help.” 

The red haired girl looks at Luke. “I need you to grab one end of the stretcher while I grab another.” The red haired girl says. “Together, we will lift the stretcher.” 

Luke, notices wooden handles at the head of the stretcher. Luke, grabs them. The red haired girl so that her back is facing the stretcher and expertly grabs the tail end handles, with her hands. Together, Luke and the red haired girl lift the stretcher off of the ground. The two ten year old boys grab two side handles. 

“Alright now, run quickly but not too fast to where someone risks dropping the stretcher.” The red haired girl says. “There is no time to lose!” 

Luke, the red haired girl and two boys run quickly, carrying Thalia and the stretcher as they do. The orange haired girl, violet haired girl, and youngest boy lead the way through the forest. Annabeth and Theia run behind Luke and the stretcher. Annabeth, carries Luke’s golf club and Thalia’s sword.


	20. Terrible truths

Itachi, blinks as Kisame gets out prepared food from the fridge. The half eaten grouse, sits on a white platter nearby. 

“Kisame?” Itachi says questioningly with a raised brow. “What are you doing?” 

Kisame, turns to Itachi. “I’m gonna have me a feast!” Kisame says. “This was our grouse to begin with. Those kids stole from us, so I’m gonna steal from them...by eating their food.” 

Itachi, blinks and looks back towards the room where the children were.  _ That tunnel has to lead out somewhere…, _ Itachi thinks to himself.  _ If I can find the exit, I can find where they ran off to. _

Itachi, gets up. “I am going to see if I can find the exit to that tunnel and find those kids.” Itachi says. “I still want to know why that girl has sharingan.” 

Kisame, shrugs. “Suit yourself.” Kisame says. 

Itachi, doesn’t respond and simply walks down the hallway towards the front door. Itachi, slides open the door and exits the motel. Itachi, examines the outside of the building. A forest lies towards the back of the motel. The builders of this motel would most likely build the escape tunnel’s exit towards the forest. Itachi, then spots a path which leads towards the back of the motel. Itachi, slowly walks down the path and looks around towards the back of the motel. Soon, Itachi, spots little red blotches on the ground. Blood. Itachi, remembers how he injured that girl with his katana.

_ That wound I gave the girl must be bleeding pretty bad, _ Itachi thinks to himself.  _ Well, at least I have a trail to follow now. _

Itachi, takes a deep breath and starts following the blood trail into the forest. 

******************************************

Jarou, watches as Tsukiko and Rina, prepare to announce Thalia’s assumed fate and that all searching for her will be discontinued to the rest of the village. All of the adult villagers and some of the older adolescents are gathered around an earthen mound in the center of the village, just below a ridge with a wisteria tree. Jarou sighs as Tsukiko and Rina climb up onto the earthen mound. The two women look at the villagers gathered around them. Tsukiko clears her throat. 

“My fellow villagers…,” Tsukiko says. “It is with heavy heart that I—”

However, Tsukiko does not finish her sentence. Loud dog barking comes from the entrance. Jarou, Rina, Tsukiko and the other villagers look in the direction of the village entrance. Jarou, raises a brow. The Moriyamas have guard dogs who bark when there is danger nearby. What has gotten into the dogs? 

After a few minutes, a guard runs up to the group. The guard looks at Tsukiko with wide eyes. “Lady Tsukiko…,” The guard says. “We have an unexpected visitor. He says that he is a Sannin from the Hidden Leaf Village!” 

Tsukiko, raises a brow as her fellow villagers gasp and start whispering amongst themselves. “Silence!” Tsukiko demands. The villagers immediately go silent. 

Tsukiko, takes a deep breath. “Bring our visitor to me.” Tsukiko says to the guard. 

The guard bows. “Yes Lady Tsukiko, at once!” The guard says. The guard runs off and returns a few minutes later. The guard, is escorting a strange man into the village center. 

Jarou, frowns as he looks studies the strange man. The strange man has long white hair, tied back into a ponytail, dark eyes, fair skin, and a wart on the left side of his nose. The strange wears, green clothing, a red haori with yellow circles on each side, and red wooden sandals. Underneath the clothing Jarou, can see mesh armor sticking out. The strange man, also wears a horned headband, with the kanji for ‘oil’, written in the middle. Who is this man? 

Tsukiko, clears her throat. “State your name and purpose.” Tsukiko says to the strange man with a firm voice. 

“My name is Jiraiya…,” The strange man says. “I am a legendary Sannin from the Hidden Leaf Village. I assume that you are the village leader then?” 

Tsukiko nods. “Yes, Jiraiya…,” Tsukiko says. “I am Tsukiko Moriyama, the head of the Moriyama clan and village. Now you didn’t state your purpose for being here.” 

Jiraiya bows respectfully. “I just want to talk.” Jiraiya says. “I have heard that you have members of the Araya clan residing in your village. I would like to speak with them.” 

Everyone stands silent. Rina, steps forward. “My name is Rina Araya,” Rina says. “I am the current head of this portion of the Araya clan. What business do have with my clan members and I?”

Jiraiya, blinks a few times. “I received information about your clan through an informant of mine.” Jiraiya says. “The informant said that the Araya clan had information regarding the Akatsuki, and more particularly...Itachi Uchiha.”

Everyone, just stands silent. They all look at one another.

“I went to your clan’s other village and when I asked about the Akatsuki, they refused to talk to me.” Jiraiya says. “However, someone did mention that a group of Araya’s had been exiled from that village years ago, and that I should go look for them and ask them about it. When I began searching for all of you, I was in a nearby village and a man said that a small group of Araya’s resided here. So...here I am.”

Jarou and Rina, look at one another. Rina sighs and turns away. Jarou, does the same. 

“Please…,” Rina says. “We don’t want to talk about it. Especially after what he did.”

Jiraiya’s eyes narrow. “What do you mean by that?” Jiraiya asks. “What did Itachi Uchiha do to your village?”

Jarou, blinks a few times. It is obvious that Jiraiya, is not going to leave until he gets answers. Besides, Jarou and his family have been keeping their grief bottled up all these years. Perhaps just letting it all out will help. Jarou, looks at Rina. Rina, just gives her nephew a look. Rina, understands what Jarou is thinking. 

Rina, sighs. “Please understand what we are about to tell you…,” Rina says. “It is a long and complicated tale.” 

Jiraiya, narrows his eyes. “I’m listening.” Jiraiya says. “My ears are wide open.”

******************************************

Bright light enters Thalia’s vision as her eyes slowly flutter open.  _ Where am I? _ Thalia thinks to herself as she slowly turns her head to look at her surroundings. She is in a bright room. 

Suddenly, Luke and Annabeth’s forms come into view. Theia, lays next to Annabeth’s from. Annabeth, cries with joy and hugs Thalia.

“You’re awake!” Annabeth cries. “Luke and I were so worried about you.” 

“Where are we?” Thalia asks suspiciously. “How did I get here?” 

Luke, frowns. “You don’t remember being carried on the stretcher?” Luke asks. 

Thalia, blinks as she suddenly remembers. “Stretcher…,” Thalia says. “Those kids...they helped you carry me on the stretcher.” 

“Yes…,” Luke says. 

Suddenly, a woman with light brown hair and blue eyes comes into view. The woman smiles when she sees that Thalia is awake. Luke and Annabeth, smile when they see the woman. 

“Thalia, this is Naiya…,” Annabeth says with a smile. 

“She saved your life.” Luke adds. 

The woman, Naiya, sits down by Thalia. “I managed to stop the bleeding from your wound.” Naiya says. “I healed the wound as best as I could. However, you shall always have a scar on that side.” 

Thalia, blinks when she remembers getting slashed on her right side. Thalia, looks to see that she is wearing a simple white shirt. Thalia, lifts the shirt and sees that he waits is wrapped up in bandages. Then, an old man comes into the room. The man has gray hair with streaks of black, blue-grey eyes and is wearing simple gray clothing. The man’s left arm is in a sling. 

The man sits down by Naiya. “Hey Thalia…,” Luke says as he gestures towards the man. “This is Masaru. He apparently knows who you are. It’s a really interesting story actually.” 

The man, Masaru, sighs and looks at Thalia. “Your friends told me what happened to you.” Masaru says. “And I am afraid that I know who tried to kill you. It is a very long and complicated story...so please listen closely.” 

Masaru, takes a deep breath. “I know all about you Thalia Grace.” Masaru says. 

Thalia, blinks when she hears her last name. How does this man know her last name? Luke and Annabeth both blink and raise their brows. 

“Grace?” Luke asks. “That is your last name? Why haven’t you mentioned it before?” 

Thalia, grimaces and looks away. “It is my  _ mother’s _ last name.” Thalia says. “The mother that I never got along with.” 

Luke’s eyes widen. “Oh.” Luke simply says. 

Thalia, looks at Masaru. “How do you know about me?” Thalia asks. 

Masaru sighs. “Luke and Annabeth mentioned that the three of you are from another world and that you were sent here by being sucked into a ‘blue tornado’.” Masaru says. “That blue tornado was what you could call a dimensional rift. So yes...the three of you are in another world. And yes, you are in a world of ninja. You see...certain people in this world are able to manipulate an energy source called chakra. By manipulating chakra...one can produce many different abilities. These abilities are known as jutsu.” 

Masaru, blinks and takes a deep breath. “Some jutsu’s can only be performed by individuals who hail from certain clans.” Masaru says. “These jutsu’s are known as ‘kekkei genkai’.” 

Thalia, blinks. “Kekkei genkai?” Thalia asks. 

Masaru, nods. “Yes.” Masaru says. “You see...I come from a kekkei genkai bearing clan. My full name is Masaru Araya. The Araya clan’s kekkei genkai is to see into other dimensions, create dimensional rifts and share memories. I have been watching over you since you were born.” 

Thalia, blinks a few times. “Why...why have you been watching over me?” Thalia asks. 

Masaru, puts a hand on Thalia’s shoulder. “Because...you are an Araya...just like me.” Masaru says. “Your mother was born into the Araya clan and then sent to your world.” 

Thalia, blinks when she suddenly remembers her dreams. “I have been having weird dreams.” Thalia says. “In my dreams, I keep seeing this girl named Sakiko.” 

Masaru, nods. “Yes…,” Masaru says. “Your grandmother was named Sakiko Araya. She died giving birth to your mother.” 

Thalia, blinks a few times. “So...my dreams are rooted in truth then?” Thalia asks. Suddenly, Thalia’s eyes widen. “The man who attacked me and gave me this scar, he was in my dreams too. Does...does that mean…?” 

Masaru, hangs his head down. Thalia, can’t finish her sentence. Her eyes are wide with absolute shock and horror at the revelation she has just made. “The man who tried to kill me...is my grandfather.” Thalia whispers. “My own grandfather almost killed me.” 

Masaru, nods sadly. “Unfortunately yes.” Masaru says. “Itachi Uchiha...is your grandfather.” 

Luke and Annabeth, reach over and put comforting hands on Thalia’s shoulder. “It’s ok.” Luke says. “You’re safe now.” 

Thalia blinks and looks at Masaru. “But...how is he my grandfather?” Thalia asks. “He looked so young.” 

Masaru, closes his eyes. “That is because time does not flow the same in every world.” Masaru says. “Your mother was born in this world four year ago. However, thirty-six years passed in your world. And your grandmother and grandfather were only fourteen when your mother was born.” 

Thalia, blinks a few times. “I guess that makes sense.” Thalia says. “But...I still don’t understand why my grandfather tried to kill me.” 

Masaru, sighs. “I truly don’t think that your grandfather knows exactly how you are connected to him.” Masaru says. “Luke and Annabeth said that Itachi tried to kill you when your eyes turned red. You see, your eyes turning red is a kekkei genkai known as ‘sharingan’. The sharingan is the kekkei genkai of the Uchiha clan...your grandfather’s clan.” 

Annabeth blinks. “In Thalia’s dreams she said that someone called Itachi a ‘kinslayer’.” Annabeth says. “Is this true?” 

Masaru nods his head sadly. “Yes.” Masaru says. “It apparently happened one month before Itachi and Sakiko met.” Masaru says. “Itachi was what you could call a prodigy. He was the head of the police force of his village, the anbu black ops when he was only thirteen. However, Itachi wasn’t head of the anbu very long.” 

Masaru, sighs. “No one knows exactly why he did it.” Masaru says. “One night Itachi returned home from a mission and for reasons unknown...he just started killing off his fellow clan members. By the end of the night only two Uchiha remained. Itachi and his younger brother.” 

Thalia, Luke and Annabeth all gasp. “Thalia’s grandfather killed off his entire clan?!” Luke says. “That is seriously messed up.” 

Masaru, nods. “Yes...it is.” Masaru agrees. 

Thalia, hangs her head down. Her grandfather, the one who tried to kill her is a psychotic mass murderer and ‘kinslayer’. What could be worse? Luke, puts a comforting hand on Thalia’s shoulder. 

“It’s ok Thalia.” Luke says. “You don’t need your grandfather. It is obvious that he doesn’t care about family.” 

Thalia, looks up at Luke. “I guess you are right.” Thalia says. “Besides, he almost killed me.” 

Masaru, sighs. “Unfortunately, news hadn’t reached my village when Itachi and Sakiko met.” Masaru says. “You see, when Itachi and Sakiko met for the first time, Sakiko was instantly infatuated with Itachi. There was nothing anyone could do to persuade Sakiko that Itachi was trouble. After Itachi left our village, Sakiko, was devastated. Then, she found out she was pregnant. Soon after, news of Itachi’s crime reached our village.” 

Thalia, closes her eyes. “My poor grandmother.” Thalia says. “To be so young and pregnant...and with a mass murderer’s child. That must have been awful.” 

Masaru, sighs sadly. “There is something that you need to know about your grandmother’s family.” Masaru says. “Sakiko’s family and close relatives were shunned by the rest of the village because of your great-great grandmother, Sakiko’s grandmother. Sakiko’s grandmother, Akira Araya, was what you could call the village ‘whore’. She would have sex with men like there was no tomorrow. This caused her to be shunned by the village. Her children and grandchildren were subsequently shunned as well. Sakiko’s pregnancy and the revelation of Itachi’s crime resulted in Sakiko being shunned even more.”

Thalia, closes her eyes as she thinks back to her dreams. “In my dreams...my grandmother was banished when she went into labor.” Thalia says. 

Masaru, nods sadly. “Yes.” Masaru says. “Your grandmother was banished by our village leader, Toma Araya. Subsequently, Sakiko died of blood loss because there was no one to assist her. Sakiko’s uncle found her body and Sakiko’s newborn. Then, four days later, Toma sent your mother to your birth world through a dimensional rift. After that Sakiko’s family was banished from the Araya village...forever.” 

Thalia, gasps. She then balls her hands into fists and grits her teeth. Luke, looks at Masaru. 

“Man, Toma must have been one messed up guy to do that.” Luke says. “Banishing Thalia’s relatives like that. I just wish I could pound the guy to a pulp!” 

Masaru, sighs. “Let’s just say that Toma hated Sakiko’s family.” Masaru says. “Toma’s father, the former Araya village leader, frequently cheated on Toma’s mother...with Akira. It is because of this that Toma hated Akira, Akira’s children and grandchildren...and even close relatives.” 

Thalia, blinks a few times. “It still isn’t fair.” Thalia says. “My grandmother and her family didn’t deserve that treatment.” 

Masaru, nods. “It is terrible indeed.” Masaru says. “I regret that I gave into my fear of Toma and did not try to vouch for Sakiko’s family. However, I eventually saw the light and fled the village with my grandsons. Toma, is just a terrible and cruel village leader overall.” 

Thalia, closes her eyes. Masaru, takes a deep breath. “After your mother was sent to your world, she was picked up by social services and placed into a foster home.” Masaru says. “She eventually grew up and had you...and your brother.” 

Luke and Annabeth gasp and look at Thalia. “Brother?” Luke asks. “What is Masaru talking about?” 

Thalia, sighs. She figures that she better open up to Luke and Thalia about her past. “I was born to an actress named Beryl Grace and Zeus, the king of the gods. My mother was an alcoholic who was very selfish and emotionally unstable. She was attention seeking. She would do anything to end up in the tabloids, often pulling stupid stunts as a result. She even went as far as to dye her hair blonde in order to attract more of an audience.” 

Luke, scoffs. “Sheesh, that’s terrible.” Luke says. 

Thalia, sighs and looks away. “After my birth, my father left, as all gods do after the birth of their half-mortal children.” Thalia says. “My mother became even more unstable. She would often physically abuse me when she got drunk. My mother blamed my birth for my father leaving. She would often tell me that ‘I had ruined her life’.”  

Luke, gasps and squeezes Thalia’s shoulder. “Thalia…,” Luke says. “That is horrible. My mom may have been crazy but she never told me that I had ruined her life.” 

Thalia, takes a deep breath. “A few months before my six birthday my father returned.” Thalia says. “Him and my mother resumed their relationship. That following year, my little brother was born.” 

Luke’s eyes widen. “Zeus broke the great oath of the big three twice?!” Luke cries. 

Thalia, nods. “Yes.” Thalia says. “My father told my mother to name my new little brother Jason, even though my mother wasn’t fond of the name. My father told my mother that Hera, his immortal wife had been enraged by his affair with my mother and my subsequent birth. My father knew that Hera would be even more enraged with my brother’s birth. So...my father thought that naming his new half-blood son after Hera’s favorite mortal hero would appease her. It didn’t.” 

Luke and Annabeth look at one another. “What happened?” Luke asks. 

Thalia, sighs. “My father left and my mother unraveled and returned to her old ways.” Thalia says. “Even though I was only six I became very proficient at taking care of Jason. I practically raised him.” 

Thalia, smiles as she remembers Jason. “Jason was so cute.” Thalia says. “He had electric blue eyes, just like me and a little head of blond hair. He was so sweet, yet he could be so mischievous at the same time. A week after Jason turned two he tried to eat a stapler and almost stapled his lips together. I got to him just in time, but he ended up with a little scar on his upper lip.” 

Thalia, then lets out a sigh. “However, things weren’t exactly peaceful.” Thalia says. “My mother was unstable and monsters kept attacking us. My mother became paranoid and kept saying that Hera was after us.”  

Thalia, closes her eyes as she remembers the worst day of her life. “One day when I was eight and Jason was two, my mother unexpectedly announced that we were going on a picnic.” Thalia says. “She packed Jason and I along with a basket into the car. She drove for a little while until we reached this park. Then, we got out and walked until we reached this little rundown house. Then, mom told me to go back and get the basket. I was suspicious. My mother never took Jason and I anywhere. However, I obliged and left Jason with her while I fetched the basket.” 

Thalia, opens her eyes. “I wasn’t gone more than three minutes at the most.” Thalia says. “When I came back, Jason was nowhere to be seen. Mom was crying hysterically and she kept saying that ‘Hera had claimed Jason and that he was as good as dead’. I freaked and thought my mom had lost her mind. I frantically searched the entire park, trying to find my little brother, but I couldn’t. Jason had simply just vanished.” 

Thalia, holds back a few tears. “I think my mother let Hera kill Jason as a way to appease Hera, so that Hera would leave her alone.” Thalia says. “Whatever the case, I hate that woman. I will never forgive her for ‘losing’ Jason.”  

Luke and Annabeth both gasp. Luke, puts a hand on Thalia’s shoulder again. “Oh Thals…,” Luke says. “I had no idea. I’m so sorry.” 

Thalia, closes her eyes. “I ran away from home after that.” Thalia says. “I just couldn’t stand to be around that woman after Jason’s disappearance.” 

Thalia, takes a deep breath and manages a small smile. She looks at Luke and Annabeth. “However, if I hadn’t runaway, I wouldn’t have met the two of you.” Thalia says. “The two of you are my family now.” 

Luke, smiles. “Yeah…,” Luke says. “The three of us have had some good times together.” 

Annabeth, smiles. “Yeah…,” Annabeth says. “We have fought a lot of monsters together. And look, we don’t have to worry about monsters anymore. We have a new home. We even have a dog. We just have to avoid your grandfather and things should be fine.” 

Masaru, sighs. “I have a confession to make.” Masaru says. “I am the reason the three of you are in this world. I was the one who created the dimensional rift that sent the three of you here.” 

Thalia, Luke and Annabeth all gasp. Their eyes are wide. “You…,” Luke begins. “We are here because of you?!” 

Masaru, nods. “I was checking on Thalia when I saw that the three of you were being attacked by monsters.” Masaru says. “I realized that the three of you were hopelessly outnumbered, so I did the only thing that I could to save all of you. I created a dimensional rift and sent the three of you to this world. Toma, caught me in the act and said that he would kill me for my actions. I had made a shadow clone of myself to distract Toma while I escaped with my grandsons. While on the road, I broke my arm.” 

Masaru, gestures towards the sling and then to Naiya. “Naiya’s family found us and brought my grandsons and I back here.” Masaru says. “Naiya managed to save my arm.” 

Masaru, closes his eyes. “I told Naiya and her family my story and subsequently the story of your mother.” Masaru says. “They were so understanding and said that they would keep a look out for the three of you.” 

Luke, blinks a few times. He looks at Thalia. “Masaru’s older grandson and the older kids of Naiya’s household stayed out late in order to hunt for deer.” Luke says to Thalia. “That is when they discovered us. They ran back here and  _ stole _ a stretcher from the village hospital and brought it back to where the three of us were. Together, we all carried you on the stretcher.” 

“Luke and the kids carried you all the way here.” Annabeth says. “Then, Naiya healed your wound and saved your life!” 

Thalia, looks at Naiya. “Thank you…,” Thalia says. “Thank you for saving my life.” 

Naiya, simply smiles. “You are very welcome.” Naiya says. 

Thalia, tries to turn but she grimaces when her side hurts. Naiya, places a hand on Thalia’s shoulder. “If you move around too much right away, you might make the wound bleed again. You need to rest. Your body needs to recover from your blood loss.” 

Thalia, sighs. “Can I at least make a trip to the restroom?” Thalia asks. 

Luke, quickly scoots over to Thalia’s side. “Come on, I’ll help you up.” Luke says. 

Luke, Naiya and Masaru quickly help Thalia to her feet. Annabeth, leads the way towards the bathroom. Theia, follows obediently at Annabeth’s heels. 

Outside the house, a shadowy figure stands just off of the veranda. The figure’s eyes are closed. The mysterious figure heard everything discussed inside the house. The figure opens his eyes, revealing sharingan eyes, which glow in the darkness. 

*******************************************

Jiraiya, closes his eyes as he takes in what Rina just told him. Rina, sighs. “After Jason’s disappearance…,” Rina says. “Thalia ran away from home. She eventually met two other half-bloods. The first was a boy about two years older, named Luke Castellan. Then, Luke and Thalia found a young seven year old named Annabeth Chase. However, in time the three demigods disappeared. My family has searched and searched...but we cannot find Thalia or her friends. When a long period of time passes without a person being found with our interdimensional viewing and tracking jutsu...it usually means one thing.”   

Rina, looks at Tsukiko. Tsukiko, climbs back onto the mound of earth. Rina, follows her. Tsukiko and Rina both look the villagers below them. Tsukiko, clears her throat. 

“My fellow villagers…,” Tsukiko says. “It is with heavy heart that I inform you of the Araya’s decision to suspend the search for young Thalia Grace.” 

The villagers gasp. Rina, clears her throat. “When a person cannot be found with the interdimensional tracking jutsu...it usually means just one thing.” Rina says. “It usually means that person is no longer alive. I fear that the inevitable has happened. Thalia...and her friends have died. This is the most likely scenario.” 

The villagers all share sad looks as if understanding what Rina is saying. Rina, clears her throat. 

“We will probably never know exactly what happened to Thalia or her friends.” Rina says. “However, from what we know about the lives of demigods...Thalia, Luke and Annabeth probably met their ends at the hands of monsters. We can only hope that they didn’t suffer.” 

The villagers all hang their heads down. “The death of Thalia is a tragedy.” Rina says. “Especially when she was still young. Thalia, was given such a hard and unfair life from the very beginning. Even then, I had hoped she would be strong enough to survive the harsh life of a demigod. However, fate is cruel and unfair.” 

Jarou, closes his eyes and turns away. Tears stream down his face. Then, Jarou, takes off running until he disappears from sight. Jiraiya, raises a brow as he watches Jarou run away. Rina, says a few more words before she descends the earthen mound. Tsukiko, follows right behind Rina. The gathering of villagers soon starts to disperse. Rina, walks up to Jiraiya. 

“I had hopes for Thalia.” Rina says. “She was so strong and resilient. However, demigods rarely have happy endings, especially children born to the big three. The sad truth is...nearly half of all demigods don’t survive past their thirteen birthday. It’s just a harsh fact of life for demigods. The odds were against Thalia from the very start, especially with the oath of the big three, and the great prophecy.” 

Jiraiya, closes his eyes. “I’m sorry for your family’s loss.” Jiraiya says. 

Rina, closes her eyes. “Thank you.” Rina says. 

Rina, then looks at the moon. She sighs and looks at Jiraiya.  “Since you have been so understanding of my family’s circumstances…,” Rina says. “I shall share something with you. Toma, hated my family. You see, Toma’s father, Tarou, often cheated on Toma’s mother. Akira, was one of Tarou’s many mistresses. Tarou and Akira didn’t even try to hide their affair either. Everyone could see it, especially Tarou’s family. I could only imagine the strain this had on Tarou’s marriage to his wife.” 

Rina, takes a deep breath. “However…,” Rina says. “Tarou’s family especially hated Takeo...for a very specific reason.” 

Jiraiya’s eyes widen in realization. “You’re saying that Tarou...was Takeo’s father?” Jiraiya asks. 

Rina, sighs. “Akira would always deny it...but I could see the truth when Takeo was born.” Rina says. “I am sure others could see it too, especially Tarou’s family. I can only imagine how Tarou’s wife and children felt about the situation. Toma and his sister were especially cruel to Takeo when the latter was growing up. And given the situation, who could blame them. Takeo, was a living reminder of their father’s infidelity. Toma and his sister were especially cruel when Saki married Takeo and even when Sakiko was born.” 

Jiraiya, blinks. “That means...Toma was Takeo’s half-brother and therefore Sakiko’s half-uncle.” Jiraiya says. 

Rina, nods. “Yes.” Rina says. 

Jiraiya, closes his eyes and looks down. This little fact makes the whole situation even worse. Toma, banished his own half-niece to give birth alone, and the girl died as a result. Then, Toma sent his own half-grandniece to another world. All because he hated Takeo and Sakiko and Sakiko’s child for something they couldn’t control. 

Rina, sighs. “Takeo wasn’t the only illegitimate child of Tarou.” Rina says. “Akira had two babies that died soon after birth. I suspect that those babies were also Tarou’s. Tarou, didn’t limit his affairs to just Akira either. You see, Toma was cheating on his wife long before Toma and his sister were born. There was an older boy within the village, who bore some resemblance to Tarou. His name was Masaru. Toma and his sister also seemed to suspect the truth of Masaru’s parentage and gave him the same treatment as they did Takeo.” 

Rina, takes a deep breath. “Jarou and Amira don’t know the truth of Takeo’s father.” Rina says. “All they know is that Takeo’s father was a man from the Araya village. I intend to keep it that way. I fear that the truth would absolutely crush them.” 

However, unknown to Jiraiya and Rina, a figure with ultramarine blue eyes stands in the shadows nearby, having heard the entire exchange. 

******************************************

Jarou, runs through the forest. Tears stream down his face. Eventually, Jarou comes to a cliff. Jarou, looks down at the river below him. He thinks of his past. 

_ A five year old Jarou, stares at his newborn brother Takeo, who is lying swaddled up on a futon. The baby gurgles and grabs into Jarou’s finger, which hovers over the baby’s face. Jarou, gasps and pulls his finger away. Baby Takeo, coos sweetly. Rina, who is sitting nearby, smiles.  _

_ “He seems to like you.” Rina says. Rina’s parents walk over and look at baby Takeo with sad eyes.  _

_ “I fear Takeo shall face the same prejudices as Jarou.” Jarou’s grandmother says with a sad voice.  _

_ “Indeed.” Jarou’s grandfather says. “Life shall be difficult for him.”  _

_ The young Jarou, grins. “Don’t worry, I’m gonna be a good big brother.” Jarou says. “I shall protect Takeo from anyone and anything!”  _

Jarou, blinks a few times. He looks up at the sky. When Takeo was born, Jarou, had promised himself and his relatives that he would protect his little brother. Even at that young age, Jarou knew that he and his brother couldn’t rely on their absent mother to take care of them. 

_ An eight year old Jarou, carries a basket in his hands. A three year old Takeo, follows close behind, with a smaller basket. Takeo’s hair is coal black and his big round eyes are the same ultramarine blue as Jarou’s. Jarou, looks at his little brother.  _

_ “Come on Takeo…,” Jarou says. “We need to pick some apples for breakfast.”  _

_ Little Takeo, lets out a little pout. “But I don’t want to go the orchard.” Little Takeo says. “Other villagers will be there. The other villagers are mean.”  _

_ Young Jarou, smiles. “Don’t worry, I will protect you.” Young Jarou says. _

Jarou, closes his eyes. Jarou, always took care of Takeo, no matter what he was doing. Jarou, also defended his younger brother from bullies and even the older villagers. 

_ A twelve year old Jarou stands defensively in front of a seven year old Takeo. A group of older village children sneer at the two brothers. Jarou, grits his teeth in anger.  _

_ “Pick on someone your own size!” Jarou says.  _

_ The village children laugh cruelly. “Whore’s sons.” The children all say together. “Whore’s sons!”  _

_ Jarou, turns to Takeo who has tears in his eyes. “Come on Takeo, let’s go.” Jarou says. _

Jarou, opens his eyes and looks back down at the river below him. Takeo, would always be emotionally hurt by the other villagers insults. Jarou, always assured his younger brother that he loved him and so did their relatives. However, as Takeo grew older, the insults from the other villagers appeared to hurt him less and less. The boy knew that he had people that loved him and was happy. Takeo, also came to idolize and trust his older half-brother. Takeo, would tell Jarou anything. Whenever Takeo had a problem, he would always turn to Jarou for advice. 

_ A twenty-two year old Jarou is picking some apples from a tall tree. A seventeen year old Takeo, stands nearby. Takeo, glances at a group of village girls. One of the girls has long bright blonde hair, indigo blue eyes, red lips and a heart shaped face. A light dusting of freckles lines the girls nose and underneath her eyes. Jarou, looks at Takeo.  _

_ “Takeo, what are you looking at?” Jarou asks. Then, Jarou follows Takeo’s eyes and he soon spots the blonde haired girl. Jarou, grins. “Ah, you’re looking at Saki again. Do you like her brother?”  _

_ Takeo, closes his eyes. “I do Jarou…,” Takeo says. “But...I’m not sure if she likes me.”  _

_ Jarou, smiles. “A girl won’t fall in love with you overnight brother.” Jarou says. “In order to win a girl’s affection, you must first be noticed by her. Why don’t you go talk to her?” _

Jarou, closes his eyes. Takeo, always seemed to appreciate his older half-brother’s advice. It was Jarou’s advice that helped Takeo, win Saki’s affections. Jarou, thinks of one of his happiest memories. The day that Takeo and Saki got married. 

_ A twenty four year old Jarou stands with his relatives. A nineteen year old Takeo and Saki, stand together in front of a building. A man stands off to the side of the couple. The man, smiles and sighs.  _

_ “Now that the two of you have said your vows, I pronounce you husband and wife.” The man says. “You may now share the binding kiss of marriage.”  _

_ Takeo and Saki both smile and share a passionate kiss.  _

Jarou, opens his eyes and looks at the moon above. He thinks of another one of the happiest days of his life. The day that he saw Sakiko for the first time. 

_ A twenty-five year old Jarou, stands off to the side of a bed. Saki and Takeo, are sitting on the bed together. Saki, holds a tiny bundle in her arms. The bundle is a small baby with a wisp of blonde hair on top of it’s head. Jarou’s relatives surround the bed.  _

_ Rina, smiles. “Congratulations you two.” Rina says. “Your little girl is beautiful.”  _

_ Saki, smiles. “Thank you.” Saki says. “Takeo and I couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful little one.”  _

_ The baby’s eyes slowly flicker open, revealing ultramarine blue eyes. Rina, smiles. “She has Takeo’s eyes.” Rina says.  _

_ Jarou, leans in closer and smiles at the sight of his niece. “What is the little beauty’s name?” Jarou asks.  _

_ Takeo, smiles. “Sakiko.” Takeo says. “Sakiko Araya.”  _

A strong breeze shakes the leaves on the trees. Jarou, closes his eyes. Wind always makes him relive one of the worst nights of his life. 

_ The wind howls loudly through the valley. Trees sway and leaves are ripped from branches. Jarou, battles the wind as he makes his way towards a house with a toppled roof. A tree, lays on top of the roof.  _

_ “TAKEO!” Jarou screams out as he forces the smashed door open. “SAKI! SAKIKO!”  _

_ Jarou, makes his way through the rubble until he reaches the trunk of a fallen tree. Jarou, gasps with horror and shock. Slayed out upon a bed, two crushed and bloodied bodies lay underneath the trunk of the tree. Jarou, staggers back from shock and grief. However, a noise soon catches Jarou’s attention. Jarou, looks a few feet to the left of the bed. A wooden crib stands there...undamaged. Jarou, gasps and rushes over to the crib. A small blonde haired girl lays in the crib, unharmed. Jarou, scoops up the child and hugs her to his chest. Tears stream down Jarou’s cheeks like rivers. _

Jarou, chokes back a few sobs. When Takeo was born, Jarou had promised himself that he would protect and care for Takeo no matter what. Jarou, had failed to save Takeo and Saki the night that tree fell on their house. Jarou, had failed in his promise to protect his younger brother. 

Jarou, looks up at the sky. Once he took guardianship over his niece, he promised himself he wouldn’t let anything bad happen to her. He would raise her into a beautiful woman, just as Takeo and Saki would have wanted. Of course, Jarou's relatives helped in any way that they could.

_ Jarou is helping Rina and Korra pick apples. Little Sakiko, holds her own little basket. Rina, puts some apples into Sakiko’s little basket. “Alright Sakiko, look closely at those apples I just gave you.” Rina says. “Do any of them appear to have bad spots?”  _

_ Little Sakiko, looks at the apples and picks one up. “This one has a brown spot it.” Sakiko says.  _

_ Rina, nods and holds her hand out. “Yes.” Rina says. She points to another basket nearby. “Now, we must place the apple in this basket.”  _

_ Sakiko, blinks and places the apple into the basket. Sakiko, looks at all of the other apples in the basket. “The other apples have brown spots too!” Sakiko says.  _

_ Rina, nods. “Yes.” Rina says. “Those apples are unsuitable to store for winter. When apples have brown spots on them, they are more likely to spoil before they are eaten.”  _

_ Sakiko, gags. “Yuck!” Sakiko says. “I don’t wanna eat a spoiled apple.”  _

_ Rina, smiles. “Neither do I.” Rina says. “But, we can still use those apples. All we have to do is cut out the bad spots. Then, we can turn the apples into cider, wine, applesauce and apple butter.” _

_ Sakiko, smiles. “Yummy!” Sakiko says. “I love cider, applesauce and apple butter!”  _

_ Jarou, smiles. When his niece is happy, he is happy. However, Jarou, soon spots Toma walking towards the group. Jarou frowns. “Here comes Toma…,” Jarou says warningly.  _

_ Korra and Rina turn. Sakiko, whimpers and hides behind her uncle. Even at her young age, Sakiko understands that Toma doesn’t like her or her relatives. Toma, passes by Jarou, Rina and Korra. Toma, frowns and sneers at the three adults. Then Toma sees little Sakiko hiding behind Jarou. Toma, glares at the child. Jarou, shields Sakiko and looks Toma dead in the eye.  _

_ “Go away Toma.” Jarou says.  _

_ Toma, huffs and walks away. Jarou, immediately starts comforting his scared niece. _

Jarou, closes his eyes. Jarou, protected Sakiko from the mean words and hateful stares from the other villagers, even Toma. Jarou, protected Sakiko from bullies and dangers such as wild animals, and storms. However, Jarou, couldn’t protect his niece from one thing. Teenage hormones. 

_ Jarou, watches as a thirteen year old Sakiko, stares at two black cloaked figures. One of the black cloaked figures is a teenage boy about Sakiko’s age. The boy has black hair tied back into a low ponytail, pale skin and red eyes. Jarou, puts a hand on Sakiko’s shoulder.  _

_ “Sakiko…,” Jarou says warningly. “I told you to stay away from those men. They are trouble I can just tell.”  _

_ Sakiko, frowns. “Oh uncle there is nothing wrong with Itachi.” Sakiko says. “He is so kind.”  _

Jarou, sighs. He remembers the day that everyone learned that Sakiko was pregnant. 

_ Jarou, looks at a sobbing Sakiko with heartbroken eyes. “You and Itachi had sexual intercourse?!” Jarou says aghast. “Sakiko, what were you thinking?!”  _

_ “I don’t know uncle.” Sakiko says through her sobs. “It just happened.”  _

_ Rina, who is standing nearby, sighs. “Jarou, Sakiko’s symptoms indicate a possible pregnancy.” Rina says. “I need to examine her to be sure.”  _

_ Jarou, sighs. “I understand aunt Rina.” Jarou says.  _

Jarou, closes his eyes. Even though Jarou was angered by the situation, he still loved his niece all the same. She had let her hormones cloud her judgement, but she still wanted to raise her baby, even after she had learned of Itachi’s crime. Sakiko, knew what it took to raise a child and she was prepared to make the necessary sacrifices. Jarou, promised to help raise his grandniece and protect her from the villagers, just as he had done for Sakiko. 

Jarou, opens his eyes as a few tears slide down his face. The day that Sakiko went into labor, Jarou, was unable to protect her Toma’s judgement. Jarou, couldn’t even help his niece when she needed it most. Jarou, holds his head down as he remembers the second worst night of his life. 

_ Jarou, runs through the cold and snow until he reaches a rundown shack. “SAKIKO!” Jarou screams. “ARE YOU IN THERE?!”  _

_ Jarou, receives no answer. However, a sound reaches Jarou’s ears. He gasps. The sound is crying...from a newborn baby. Jarou, rushes towards the door of the shack and slides it open. Jarou, almost screams when he sees the horrible sight in front of him. In the middle of the floor, is Sakiko’s body. A large pool of blood is underneath her. A tiny bundle moves slightly by Sakiko’s unmoving body. The crying is coming from the bundle. Jarou, simply walks up the body and collapses to his knees. Jarou, lets out an anguished scream and takes Sakiko’s body into his arms. Jarou, continues to scream as he cradles his niece’s ice cold body.  _

Jarou, falls to the ground and starts sobbing. Finding his niece dead liek that was almost too much for him to handle. If Sakiko’s child hadn’t been alive, Jarou, is pretty sure that he would have committed suicide right there. After that Jarou, promised himself that he would protect and care for his grandniece. However, he was unable to fulfill that promise as well. 

Jarou, looks up at the moon as he remembers the worst day of his life. The day that his grandniece was sent to the other world, and the day that he and his relatives were banished from their home.  

_ Jarou, tries to rush forward. Two men hold him back. Toma, stands nearby with his hands together. Jarou’s grandniece, lays on a stone circle. The baby wails as a blue vortex starts descending from the sky. The wind picks up and soon the baby is lifted up into the air. The wailing baby disappears into the vortex. The vortex then ascends back into the sky and disappears.  _

_ “NOOOOOO!” Jarou screams with anguish. The two men who are holding Jarou back let go of him. Jarou, collapses to his knees and sobs his heart out. Rina, Kesoa, and Amira all run up to the plateau and stare at the sobbing Jarou. Rina, suddenly gasps in realization.  _

_ “Toma?!” Rina says with a horrified voice. “What...what have you done?”  _

_ Toma, looks coldly at Rina and the others. “I have gotten rid of the ‘kinslayer’s spawn’.” Toma says coldly.  _

_ Jarou, screams with rage. He looks at Toma with rage. “How could you do this to us Toma?!” Jarou yells. “First, my family lost Takeo and Saki! Then, we lost Sakiko! Now, we have lost Sakiko’s child! Do you understand the grief that my family has to go through?”  _

_ Toma, approaches Jarou and punches him in the jaw. Jarou, falls to the ground. Rina, Amira, and Kesoa all gasp. Amira, runs up to her half-brother. “Brother!” Amira cries as she helps Jarou back to his feet.  _

_ Toma, looks coldly at Jarou’s family. “You’re family is a stain upon this village.” Toma says. “I have decided to do something about it. Therefore...I hereby banish all of you and your relatives from the Araya Village!”  _

_ Rina, gasps with horror. “Toma…,” Rina says. “You...you can’t. Where are we supposed to go?”  _

_ “I don’t care what happens to any of you!” Toma says. “I don’t care where any of you go, just leave this village! You all have until sunrise tomorrow to be gone from this village. If you are not gone by sunrise, all of you shall be put to death, even your children!”  _

_ Amira and Kesoa both gasp. “Toma, you can’t be serious?” Kesoa says.  _

_ “My decision is final!” Toma says. “And just so you know, anyone who returns shall be put to death!”  _

_ Jarou, rubs his sore cheek. “Come on...let’s go.” Jarou says to his relatives. “Toma is serious, I can tell. Let’s just hurry up and inform the rest of our family. The sooner we start packing, the sooner we can be out of here.”  _

_ Jarou, gives Toma a look full of hate. “Toma…,” Jarou says with a hiss. “You have trampled on the principles that built this village. Unity and love. Our village and clan shall now be broken apart. Our ancestors would be disappointed in you.”  _

_ Toma, frowns. “Just get out of my sight.” Toma says. _

Jarou, closes his eyes as the memories fade away. Toma sent his grandniece away and Jarou was unable to stop him. Jarou, was also unable to stop his family’s exile.

Jarou, looks at the water. It was because of his grandniece being sent to another world, that she had an unstable upbringing. Jarou, truly believes that his grandniece’s unstable upbringing made her into the selfish alcoholic that she eventually became. 

_ Beryl, Jarou’s grandniece, is in the living of her home, which she shares with her children Thalia and Jason. Beryl, is sitting on the couch. Beryl, gulps some red wine from a glass. A half empty bottle of red wine sits on the coffee table in front of her. Beryl, mindlessly watches a television program while she drinks her wine.  _

_ Seven year old Thalia, steps out of the kitchen and spots the drunk Beryl, drinking wine. Beryl, doesn’t even notice Thalia. Thalia, rolls her eyes with annoyance and steps back into the kitchen. A ten month old Jason, is sitting on the floor, playing with toys. Thalia, goes to the refrigerator and grabs a jar of baby food. Thalia, grabs a plastic spoon shaped like an airplane and sits in front of Jason. Jason, looks at his older sister with big round electric blue eyes. Thalia, scoops up some baby food with the spoon and holds the spoon in front of Jason’s lips. Jason, smiles when he realizes that the substance on the spoon is food. Jason, bites the spoon and takes the food into his own mouth. Jason, chews and swallows. _

Jarou, blinks a few times. He always worried about Thalia and Jason after they were born and how they would turn out being in such an unstable environment. Luckily, Thalia was mature and took to caring for her little brother quite well. Thalia, also seemed to adore her little brother. 

_ Beryl, lays passed out in a lawns chair. A bottle of wine sits on a little table nearby. Thalia and Jason, are running around the yard. Jason, giggles as he runs after his big sister.  _

_ “Can’t catch me Jason.” Thalia says.  _

_ Jason, giggles as he runs after Thalia. “Tali.” Jason says with a babyish voice. Jason, can’t correctly say his sister’s name yet. “Tali! Tali!” _

Jarou, blinks and continues to look down at the water below him. Jarou had hoped that Thalia and Jason would survive and grow up. However, Jarou’s hopes for Jason vanished once the child disappeared. Then, Thalia, ran away from home. Now, Thalia has disappeared as well. 

_ Takeo and Saki are gone…., _ Jarou thinks sadly.  _ Sakiko, is gone. And now Thalia and Jason are gone as well. And Beryl...the way things are looking...she probably doesn’t have much of a future either. _

Jarou, closes his eyes. Jarou, spent his childhood taking care of and protecting Takeo. Then, Jarou, dedicated his life to raising Sakiko. After Sakiko’s death, Jarou, dedicated his time and energy to watching over Beryl, Thalia and Jason. 

Jarou, opens his eyes. Takeo is gone. Sakiko is gone. Jason is gone. And now Thalia is gone as well. And Beryl...is still on a downward spiral. What is the point of living now? What does he have to live for? 

Jarou, looks down at the river below him.  _ Everything that I lived my life for is gone…, _ Jarou thinks to himself.  _ The pain of my losses is just too much to bear. I just want this pain to end. _

Jarou, chokes back a sob and steps forward. He plummets off the edge of the cliff. 


End file.
